2024 Annual Report – Midwestern Regional Climate Center

Temperature

The average temperature for the Midwest in 2024 was 52.3°F, which was 3.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal (Figure 1). Final rankings indicate 2024 was the warmest year on record (dating back to 1895) for the Midwest, beating 2012 by 0.1°F. The entire region experienced warm conditions with temperatures ranging from 2-4°F above normal (Figure 2). Statewide annual average temperatures ranged from 2.5°F above normal in Kentucky to 3.9°F above normal in Minnesota. Final rankings indicate the following six states had their warmest year on record: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Illinois and Missouri had their 2nd warmest year, and Iowa had its 3rd warmest (Figure 3).

Selected Station-Level Temperature Records:

Average Temperature

• Decorah, IA – Warmest annual average temperature on record (119 years of data)
• Peoria, IL – Warmest annual average temperature on record (123 years of data)
• South Bend, IN – Warmest annual average temperature on record (124 years of data)
• Cave Run Lake, KY – Warmest annual average temperature on record (103 years of data)
• Muskegon, MI – Warmest annual average temperature on record (127 years of data)
• Crookston, MN – Warmest annual average temperature on record (124 years of data)
• Bucyrus, OH – Warmest annual average temperature on record (121 years of data)
• Oshkosh, WI – Warmest annual average temperature on record (118 years of data)

Minimum Temperature

• Clinton, IA – Warmest annual minimum temperature on record (128 years of data)
• Du Quoin, IL – Warmest annual minimum temperature on record (119 years of data)
• Mount Vernon, IN – Warmest annual minimum temperature on record (115 years of data)
• Bowling Green, KY – Warmest annual minimum temperature on record (129 years of data)
• Sault Ste. Marie, MI – Warmest annual minimum temperature on record (130 years of data)
• St. Cloud, MN – Warmest annual minimum temperature on record (123 years of data)
• Neosho, MO – Warmest annual minimum temperature on record (127 years of data)
• Sandusky, OH – Warmest annual minimum temperature on record (119 years of data)
• Manitowoc, WI – Warmest annual minimum temperature on record (123 years of data)

Maximum Temperature

• Decorah, IA – Warmest annual maximum temperature on record (119 years of data)
• Morrison, IL – Warmest annual maximum temperature on record (126 years of data)
• South Bend, IN – Warmest annual maximum temperature on record (127 years of data)
• Lexington, KY – Warmest annual maximum temperature on record (130 years of data)
• Houghton, MI – Warmest annual maximum temperature on record (130 years of data)
• Duluth, MN – Warmest annual maximum temperature on record (97 years of data)
• Hiram, OH – Warmest annual maximum temperature on record (123 years of data)
• Green Bay, WI – Warmest annual maximum temperature on record (130 years of data)

Precipitation

The annual precipitation for the Midwest was 38.50 inches, which was 0.54 inches above the 1991-2020 normal, or 101 percent of normal. Most areas had near-normal precipitation, with isolated pockets of slightly above-normal precipitation in southern Missouri, central Wisconsin, and along the Minnesota-Iowa border (Figure 4). Statewide precipitation totals ranged from 3.35 inches below normal in Ohio to 2.95 inches above normal in Wisconsin (Figure 1).

Snowfall for the 2024 calendar year was below normal for nearly the entire Midwest (Figure 5). Only a small portion of southeast Iowa and the extreme eastern edge of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula had slightly above-normal snowfall totals. The lake-effected regions of the Midwest had the largest deficits, with a wide stretch of Lake Superior’s south shore totaling 40-70 inches below normal in 2024. Snowfall in Western Michigan and northern Ohio was 20-40 inches below normal.

Selected Station-Level Precipitation Records:

• Waupaca, WI – Wettest year on record (116 years of data)
• New London, WI – Wettest year on record (113 years of data)
• Algona, IA – 2nd wettest year on record (124 years of data)
• Coldwater, MI – 2nd wettest year on record (124 years of data)
• Mountain Grove, MO – 2nd wettest year on record (119 years of data)
• Faribault, MN – 3rd wettest year on record (107 years of data)
• Salem, IL – 4th wettest year on record (104 years of data)
• Traverse City, MI – 6th driest year on record (123 years of data)
• Marquette, MI – least calendar-year snowfall on record (124 years of data)
• Winnebago, MN – least calendar-year snowfall on record (88 years of data)

Drought

The year started with just over three-quarters of the region abnormally dry or in drought, according to the US Drought Monitor, with the most significant drought in Iowa and across the lower Midwest (Figure 6). Ample spring precipitation brought widespread relief, and drought was eliminated from the region by early June, with just a few patchy areas of lingering dryness in the western half of the Midwest (Figure 7). Dry summer weather in the eastern portion of the region ushered in a new wave of drought that took hold over southeast Ohio. Conditions in Ohio deteriorated rapidly, and by late August, the state had its first D4 (exceptional drought) since the inception of the US Drought Monitor Map (which started in 2000) (Figure 8). Dryness was widespread across the central and lower Midwest in the final weeks of summer, enabling a westward expansion of drought. Nearly 80 percent of the region was abnormally dry or in drought by late September compared to just 20 percent of the region that was affected in mid-August (Figure 9). The remnants of Hurricane Helene moved through in late September and brought drought relief to Kentucky, southern Ohio, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, and southeast Missouri (Figure 10). Drought intensified throughout the rest of the Midwest in October, with dryness resettling in Helene-affected areas before a large-scale weather pattern shift in early November (Figure 11). Wet conditions throughout November and December notably improved the Midwest drought picture. The year closed with 59 percent of the region abnormally dry or in drought, mainly affecting the northern half of the Midwest (Figure 12).

Summary of Significant Events

Dreary January: It was a gloomy start to the year with persistent cloud cover for most of the Midwest. St. Paul, Minnesota, had record-low sunshine, and Detroit, Michigan, had overcast skies on 87% of January days. It wasn’t just cloudy skies, though — dense fog blanketed much of the region January 23-25. On the 24th, dense fog advisories extended from Kansas City to Toledo, including all of Missouri and Illinois (Figure 13, Satellite Liaison Blog – Bill Line). Visibility was as low as 300 feet, delaying schools and disrupting flights.

February Tornadoes: Severe weather got a head start. Wisconsin had its first-ever February tornadoes when two touched down on the 8th. An outbreak on the 27th (Figure 14) and 28th (Figure 15) brought 22 confirmed tornadoes across the lower Midwest, including an EF-2 with winds of 130 mph that injured three near Springfield, Ohio.

The Winter That Wasn’t: Persistent warmth was a mainstay across the Midwest, resulting in the 2023-24 winter season becoming the warmest on record. Mild temperatures favored rainfall over snowfall; lake-affected areas saw 40-80 fewer inches of winter snow than usual (Figure 5). Average Great Lakes ice cover was just 4.3%, the lowest ever measured. The missing winter devastated the tourism and recreation economy across the Upper Midwest.

Midwest’s Tornadic May: The Midwest had its 2nd-highest May tornado count since 2004. There were 237 preliminary tornado reports, nearly three times the monthly average (Figure 16). Tornadoes occurred on 19 days. Three significant outbreak days each had 20-50 confirmed touchdowns. On May 21, an EF-4 carved a 44-mile path through southeastern Iowa, causing extensive damage, injuring 35 people, and tragically claiming five lives.

*Based on preliminary data

Record Rainfall June 16-23: Multiple rounds of heavy rain fell across northern Iowa, southern Minnesota and Wisconsin, dropping 2-3 months’ worth of rain in a single week. About 6-12 inches of rain fell from June 16-23, causing record and near-record river flows that collapsed railroad bridges and dams, inundated roadways, and flooded homes and businesses (Figure 17).

Damaging Derecho: On July 15-16, a widespread, long-lived cluster of thunderstorms (called a derecho) laid down a path of destruction, with 60-100 mph winds stretching from Iowa to Indiana (Figure 18). The storm system was accompanied by 56 confirmed tornadoes across Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Illinois took the brunt of the outbreak with 48 tornadoes — the most on record from a single weather event in the state. Storm damages are estimated at more than $1 billion across the region.

Hurricane Helene Remnants Impact Midwest: Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic impacts to the southeastern U.S., dropping 4-7 inches of flooding rain across Kentucky and 50-70 mph damaging winds across the Ohio River Valley from September 27-29 (Figure 19). Despite a dry start to the month, Kentucky penned the 5th-wettest September on record. Helene brought much-needed rain and short-term relief to drought-stricken areas in southern Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

Drought Explodes in Last Half of Year: Drought gripped southeast Ohio by late summer, with the state’s first-ever exceptional drought (D4) since the inception of the U.S. Drought Monitor in 2000. Dryness rapidly expanded westward across the Midwest during the fall season. By late October, 75% of the region was in drought, and the rest experienced abnormal dryness (Figure 11). Impacts were widespread: depleted soil moisture, dormant vegetation, heightened fire risk, early fall colors, low water levels and reduced crop yields in some areas.

Lake-Effect Snow Kicks Off Winter: Record warm Great Lakes water temperatures fueled a massive lake-effect snow event from Nov. 28 through the first week of December. Heavy snow shut down major highways. Storm-event snowfall totals topped out at 20-50 inches in northern Michigan (Figure 20) and northeast Ohio (Figure 21).

2024 – The Hottest Year on Record: 2024 goes down as the hottest year on record for the Midwest. Record warmth in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, too (Figure 3). Remarkably, this occurred despite near-average temperatures during the summer months. Persistent warmth during winter, spring and autumn were the drivers behind this record warm year.

*Records date back to 1895