Widespread Unseasonably Cold Temperatures

This week, average temperatures were well below normal throughout the Midwest (Figure 1). Statewide, Missouri saw the largest temperature departure (14°F below normal) and Minnesota saw the smallest departure (9.1°F below normal). The mean temperature in Bollinger County, Missouri was 29.4°F which is 16.9°F below normal, making that the greatest deviation in the Midwest this week. Maximum temperatures followed the below-normal pattern, and were at least 10°F below normal throughout the whole region (Figure 2). This graphic from NWS Des Moines shows the forecasted highs compared to normal and record values for November 18. Minimum temperatures were also well below normal in the southern Midwest, but deviations were not as drastic in the northern and eastern portions of the region (Figure 3). Overall, 176 low minimum and 263 low maximum temperature records were set or tied this week (Figure 4). This tweet from NWS Kansas City highlights the anomalous temperature swings that were felt in the first half of November.

Below-normal Precipitation Continues

Overall, below normal precipitation was seen throughout much of the Midwest (Figure 5). The far northern part of the region as well as some small, isolated areas received normal or slightly above-normal precipitation totals. Streamflows became slightly lower throughout the region, but states that were well above normal last week became closer to normal this week (Figure 6).

Heavy Snow in the Upper Midwest

Almost all of the Midwest had above-normal snowfall totals, with part of Michigan, northern Indiana, and Missouri receiving up to 750 percent of normal snowfall (Figure 7). Throughout the week, portions of northern Michigan received upwards of 25 inches of snow (Figure 8). A lake effect snow event heavily affected the eastern side of Lake Michigan; Kent County, Michigan reported 30.8 inches of snow (11.9 inches on November 19), and Charlevoix County, Michigan reported 34.8 inches (19.4 inches on November 18). Other reported 24-hour snowfall totals can be seen in this tweet from NWS Gaylord on November 18. This lake effect snow also brought heavy snow to northern Indiana. South Bend, Indiana broke the daily record for snowfall early in the morning on November 18 and reported 22.7 inches of snowfall after all said and done. Besides this main lake-effect event, portions of every other state saw up to, and in some cases over, an inch of snow this week. Kossuth County, Iowa reported 6 inches and DeKalb County, Illinois reported 5.6 inches, making those the greatest snowfall accumulations for the respective states this week. In total, there were 235 daily snowfall records broken or tied this week (Figure 9).

Drought Monitor Update

Drought still lingers across the Midwest given the precipitation departures with minimal changes this week (Figure 10) There were 1-class degradations in Kentucky, Missouri, and Illinois, where the rest of the Midwest stayed the same.