Midwest Weekly Highlights - September 24-30, 2008

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Quiet End to September

The last week of September warm and generally pleasant across the Midwest.

Precipitation was normal to 200 percent of normal across much of Iowa through eastern Minnesota and extreme northwestern Wisconsin. East of the Mississippi River, rainfall was generally less than 50 percent of normal (Figure 1), Most of the rain in Iowa fell with a cold frontal passage on September 28-29. The rain in Minnesota and Wisconsin resulted from heavy thunderstorms associated with a cold front that moved through the northern Midwest on September 26-27 (Figure 2). Despite the rain, the September 30 U.S. Drought Monitor showed an expansion of dryness in Minnesota and Wisconsin, with an area of Severe (D2) drought in southern Minnesota and another in north-central Wisconsin (Figure 3). There were only a few widely scattered severe thunderstorms this week. At least one report of severe weather was received in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin, but there was little or no damage reported.

Temperatures were well above normal this week over all but far southeastern Kentucky. Temperature departures ranged from 4°F to 6°F above normal, except for near normal to 1 °F below normal in southeastern Kentucky (Figure 4). The warm weather came to end with the passage of the cold front on September 29-30, and temperatures were generally well below normal on September 30 with highs ranging from the low to mid 50s in northern Minnesota to the low 70s in southern Missouri and Kentucky (Figure 5).

 

Flooding from Ike Lingers

The Illinois River still in flood from Henry to Hardin, IL, from the heavy rain that fell at the middle of the month. Major flooding was still occurring at Meredosia, IL, where the river was still more than 9 feet above flood stage on September 30 (Figure 6). The Kankakee River at Shelby, IN was also still in flood and was not expected to drop below flood stage until October 3 (Figure 7).

SDH