Monthly Overview - January 2021

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Precipitation

Dry conditions in the Upper Midwest led to a drier January for the Midwest (Figure 1). Average precipitation for the region as 1.40 inches which was 0.37 inches below normal. This represented about 80 percent of the normal amount (Figure 2). Dry conditions coupled with lower than normal snowfall amounts in the Upper Midwest were a major contributor to the drier weather. However, heavy precipitation fell across Missouri, with more than 200 percent of normal falling across a large portion of the state. Precipitation amounts were also above normal across most of Iowa and slightly above normal in the Ohio River Valley. However, very dry weather was common across northern Michigan and northern Minnesota, with many areas receiving less than half the normal amount. With only 51 percent of normal, Michigan ranked among the 12 driest January’s on record (1895-2021).
 

Temperature

Warm weather was widespread in the Midwest during January (Figure 3). Average temperatures for the region were 24.7°F which was 5.3°F above normal. This ranked as the 12th warmest January on record for the region (1895-2021). While temperatures were warm throughout the month, the warmth was most pronounced during the first half of January (Figure 4). Areas of northern Minnesota were extremely warm during this period. For January, Minnesota finished with its 4th warmest January on record (1895-2021). However only one station record was broken for the month in Hallock, MN (Kittson County).
 

Significant Snow Departures

Significantly less snow fell across a large portion of the Midwest in January (Figure 5). Areas in Minnesota, Michigan, northern Wisconsin and Kentucky had less than half the normal amount of snowfall during the month (Figure 6). The most pronounced snowfall departures were in the lake-effect regions of Michigan (Figure 7), where departures of 10-30 inches below normal were observed. A station in Marquette, MI broke their minimum snowfall record for January with just 3.5 inches (136 years on record). The previous record was in 1942. However, heavy snowfall impacted Iowa and parts of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois during the month. Areas in southwestern Iowa and extreme northwestern Missouri had more than twice the normal amount of snow in January. Many others had more than 1.5 times the normal in this heavy snow band. Several storms impacted these same areas during the first half of January (Figure 8) ahead of an intense storm on January 25 through the morning of January 26 (Figure 9). Amounts of 8-12 inches were common across southwestern Iowa from the storm.
 

Drought Coverage Remains Similar

Despite a drier than normal January in the Midwest, drought coverage decreased slightly with low water demand and well-placed precipitation (Figure 10). Overall, drought covered dropped around 1.5 percent according to the January 26 U.S. Drought Monitor compared to the start of the month. Drought severity also slightly decreased in western Iowa. However, abnormally dry conditions increased across the Upper Midwest. All of Minnesota was either abnormally dry or in moderate drought at the end of the month, with most of northern Wisconsin also abnormally dry.
 

-BJP-