Midwest Weekly Highlights - May 15-21, 2012

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Back to Back Dry Weeks

A second straight dry week for the Midwest brought very little rain to most of the region (Figure 1). Large areas with no rain for the week extended from northern Missouri to southern Wisconsin and in parts of Ohio and eastern Indiana. Parts of Minnesota and the southern coast of Lake Superior were the only locations to record above normal precipitation for the week (Figure 2). Large swaths of the region picked up only a fraction of normal with the vast majority of the region below 50% of normal and areas with less than 5% of normal occurring in all nine states (Figure 3).
 

Warm

Temperatures were above normal across the region. Departures were typically larger further north, ranging from just a couple degrees above normal in the south to 6°F to 8°F in the northern tier of states (Figure 4). Daily temperature records included a single record low on the 17th and dozens of record highs, mostly later in the week. Many locations topped 90°F on the last four days of the week (Figure 5).
 

Hail and Wind Damage

Despite the generally dry conditions, thunderstorms erupted across the Midwest bringing severe weather to all states except Ohio (Figure 6). Hail and high winds caused localized damage on the 15th and on the 18th through the 21st. Severe reports were most widespread on the 20th, extending across Illinois and Wisconsin (Figure 7). A suspected microburst in Beltrami County, Minnesota on the 18th knocked down a 100 yd row of trees. The Chicago NWS office posted a story on a microburst with winds up to 90 mph that struck Gary, Indiana (Lake County) on the 20th. Other wind damage included reports of trees and power lines down and roof damage to buildings.
 

Dry Weather Affects Farmers

The continued dry weather allowed farmers to complete a lot of field work during the week. Statewide numbers indicated five to six days suitable for fieldwork in Kentucky and Ohio and six or more days in the other Midwest states. Planting of corn and soybeans was ahead of the 5-year average across the Midwest. However the dry weather also had a downside as rains were needed for germination and growth of plants already emerged. Drought expanded near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers (Figure 8).
 

-MST-