Midwest Weekly Highlights - January 1-7, 2020

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New Year’s Warmth

Temperatures were warmer than normal across the entire Midwest during the first week of the new year (Figure 1).  Very warm conditions were recorded across Minnesota, Iowa, western Wisconsin and northern Missouri, were temperatures were mostly 10-12°F above normal.  Most of the Ohio River Valley and Michigan were 6-9°F above normal.  However, very few daily temperature records were broken across the region ((Figure 2).
 

Drier for Many

Conditions were dry across the Upper Midwest, Missouri and most of Illinois during the week (Figure 3).  Only light precipitation amounts of less than a quarter inch were recorded, except in lake-effect snowfall areas of Michigan.  Snowfall amounts of 3-6 inches were recorded in these areas, with locally higher amounts over 8 inches (Figure 4).  Meanwhile, the only major storm to impact the area brought moderate to heavy rainfall to the Ohio River Valley through the mornings of January 3 (Figure 5) and January 4 (Figure 6).  Some areas in southeastern Kentucky had more than twice the normal amount for the period (Figure 7).
 
 

-BJP-