Midwest Weekly Highlights - October 18-24, 2011

---

Cooler Temperatures

Temperatures cooled in the third week of October following a warm first half of the month. Temperatures were below normal across the Midwest for the week, with departures of 4°F to 5°F below normal in the southernmost parts of the region (Figure 1). The coldest weather of the week was recorded on the morning of the 22nd with minimum temperatures in the upper 20s or lower 30s across most of the Midwest (Figure 2). These cool temperatures brought the first freeze for many Midwest stations (Figure 3). The first 28°F temperatures of the fall were recorded from Missouri to Wisconsin and some scattered station further to the southeast (Figure 4). The few dozen daily temperature records for the week were mostly record lows.
 

Rain in the East, Dry in the West

Precipitation totals for the week ranged from nothing in parts of Minnesota and Iowa to more than 3" from southwest Michigan into west central Ohio (Figure 5). Totals were more than two times normal for most of the eastern half of the region with totals topping five times normal in parts of Indiana and Ohio (Figure 6). The deluge pushed rivers in northern Ohio out of their banks (Figure 7). Field work and harvest made good progress in the west where less rain fell but not near as much in the east where fields remained too wet to work. More than 200 daily precipitation records were set in the eastern half of the Midwest on the 19th and 20th.
 

Wind and Waves

The system that brought rain to the eastern half of the region also brought high winds across the Great Lakes (Figure 8). Wind warnings were issued for Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and Lake Huron. Some of the strongest winds raised large waves and damaged property along the southwest shoreline of Lake Michigan. Chicago (Cook County) and Milwaukee (Milwaukee County) both reported damage in the water and on shore. Winds in the Chicago area topped 50 mph with gusts in excess of 60 mph at multiple stations. Wind whipped waves to 15 to 25 feet battering boats along the Chicago shoreline sinking at least 20 in Monroe Harbor alone. Reports of boat damage extended along the shore as far north as Milwaukee where several boats were sunk or pushed onto shore. On land, thousands lost power and windows were blown out of high-rise buildings in both Chicago and Milwaukee. Chicago closed bike and running paths along the lake to prevent injuries as waves crashed on shore. Power outages were also reported in Michigan and Indiana due to the winds.
 

-MST-