Precipitation patterns across the Midwest were defined by an intense, localized corridor of heavy rainfall contrasting with widespread dryness elsewhere. The most significant hydrological activity occurred across southern Iowa, northern and central Missouri, and west-central Illinois, where a series of storm complexes dropped widespread totals of 2.5 to 5.5 inches, with a localized amounts exceeding 6.25 inches in south-central Iowa and north-central Missouri. This wet weather pattern resulted in substantial positive departures of 1.5 to over 4.5 inches above normal.
Conversely, the northern and eastern fringes of the region experienced a remarkably dry week. Northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, eastern Indiana, and much of Ohio received less than 0.50 inches of rain—with much of Kentucky dropping below 0.10 inches—yielding widespread precipitation deficits of 0.75 to 1.5 inches below normal.
Anomalous warmth dominated the Midwest this week, with average temperatures ranging from the upper 40s along the Canadian border to the 70s in southwestern Missouri. Looking at departures from normal, unseasonable warmth dominated the western and central Midwest. A broad area encompassing Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and western Illinois reported temperatures 2°F to 6°F above historical norms, with the core of the warmth centering over western Iowa and northwest Missouri at 6°F to 10°F above average. In contrast, the southeastern portion of the region bucked this warming trend entirely; eastern Indiana, Ohio, and eastern Kentucky sat beneath a cooler air mass that suppressed weekly mean temperatures to 2°F to 4°F below normal.
Temperatures were above normal across much of the High Plains region this week, with average readings ranging from the low 40s along the Canadian border and in the mountains to the mid-70s across southern Kansas. Highly anomalous early-season warmth gripped the southern half of the region. The core of this heat anomaly was centered over Kansas and Colorado, where weekly temperatures soared 6°F to 12°F above historical averages, with localized spots in southern Kansas peaking more than 12°F above normal. This unseasonable warmth extended moderately northward into Nebraska, yielding departures of 3°F to 6°F above average.
Conversely, the northern High Plains remained under a more seasonal air mass; North Dakota, South Dakota, and northern Wyoming experienced below-normal conditions, fluctuating within 3°F to 6°F of historical baseline temperatures. Precipitation amounts varied across the region, with extreme dryness across the much of the region and a highly concentrated deluge along the southeastern boundary. Large portions of Wyoming, Colorado, and western parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, reported weekly totals below 0.50 inches, with extensive areas receiving less than 0.10 inches. This lack of moisture resulted in departures of 0.5 to 1.5 inches below average, causing conditions to deteriorate. Extreme (D3) drought expanded in southwestern Kansas and southern Colorado. Severe (D2) in parts of Colorado and northeast Wyoming, while moderate (D1) drought expanded in parts of South Dakota.
In powerful contrast, intense convective activity generated a sharp corridor of heavy rainfall across eastern portions of Kansas and Nebraska. Totals in this localized zone rapidly climbed between 2.5 and 5.5 inches, with departures ranging between 1.5 to over 4.5 inches above normal, resulting in improvements to moderate (D1) to exceptional (D4) drought in Nebraska and moderate (D1) to extreme (D3) drought in Kansas. Heavy rainfall also brought improvements to severe (D2) to exceptional (D4) drought in northern Colorado and a reduction of exceptional (D4) drought in southern Wyoming this week.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Comments