Midwest Weekly Highlights - March 1-7, 2016

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Mostly Dry

Below-normal precipitation was common across the region to start March (Figure 1). Most of the Midwest recieved less than an inch of precipitation (Figure 2). Most of Missouri was more than half an inch below normal during the period.  A few areas of above-normal precipitation fell across parts of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio, while most of Lower Michigan was well above normal (Figure 3).  Southern Lower Michigan had between one and a half to two times the normal amount of precipitation.  Much of this precipitation in Lower Michigan fell as snow (Figure 4). A major storm on February 29-March 2 left a heavy swath of snow from western Iowa through Michigan, while a few smaller storms also brought a few inches of snow.
 

Mixed Bag of Temperatures

Above- and below-normal temperatures were found across the Midwest to start the month (Figure 5).  Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri were 6-10°F above normal in the western halves of each state, with temperatures closer to normal in the eastern portions of the states.  Northern Wisconsin also was 2-5°F above normal.  Warm conditions across the western portion of the region on March 7 led to temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s (Figure 6).  Sioux City, IA had a record maximum temperature on March 7 of 80°F, beating the previous record of 77°F in 2000.  Below-normal temperatures were also found in the eastern parts of the region.  Lower Michigan was mainly 2-5°F below normal while Kentucky was a few degrees below normal.
 

Snowstorm February 29-March 2

A system tracked across the Midwest from February 29-March 2, bringing heavy snow and rain to most of the region.  Snow began to fall late in the day on February 29 across northern Iowa and southern Minnesota before moving into Wisconsin overnight and through the morning of March 1 (Figure 7).  These areas had between 2-5 inches of snow from the storm.  Snow continued during the day on March 1 and through the morning of March 2 in Michigan (Figure 8).  A large portion of Lower Michigan received 4-8 inches of snow, with heavier totals up to 14 inches in the eastern half.  Moderate amounts of precipitation also fell across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana through the morning of March 2, with many areas receiving a quarter- to three-quarters of an inch (Figure 9).
 

-BJP-