Midwest Weather Roundup

Peering Back Into A Quiet and (Mostly) Warm October!

Author

TDS Weather
November 01, 2024

Welcome to the November edition of the 'Midwest Weather Roundup.' Today, we will reflect on the weather from the past month (or the absence of it) across the Midwest. Additionally, we will discuss some exciting things happening at TDS Weather as we approach winter!

October 14-16: First Widespread Frost and Freeze

A deep upper-level trough moved southeast into the Midwest from late October 12th through October 17th. This pattern allowed very cold air aloft to spread across the region. At the surface, a strong area of high pressure, measuring 1034 mb, began to wedge in from Canada. This robust high-pressure system continued to advance southward across the Midwest from October 15th to 16th.

Surface Pressure and Fronts Map 2 PM on October 16

This high-pressure system pushed the coldest air mass southward across the Midwest. Widespread Freeze Warnings were issued for the region on the mornings of October 16th and October 17th.
On the morning of the 16th, temperatures in portions of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin fell to the low to upper 20s. However, the coldest air in the Ohio and Tennessee Valley regions arrived on the morning of October 17th, with temperatures dropping into the upper 20s to mid-30s.

Temperatures at 8 AM CDT October 16

October 29-30: End-of-Month Heatwave

An impressive upper-level ridge developed over the region on October 28-29. This ridge was 2 standard deviations above the normal mean and ranked in the 99.5th percentile, making it one of the strongest upper-level ridges ever recorded in late October.
This ridge caused temperatures to soar across the Midwest, with afternoon highs reaching the upper 70s to low 80s in many locations on October 29th and 30th. High temperatures were 20 to 30 degrees above average across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley regions on the 29th. Numerous daily high-temperature records were broken or tied, including cities such as Madison and Milwaukee in Wisconsin, as well as Minneapolis and St. Cloud in Minnesota.

October 30th High-Temperature Anomalies

October Drought Conditions

Over the past five years, October has been dry for many across the Midwest, and this year was no exception. Areas in southern Illinois, Indiana, and much of Ohio received only about 1-10% of the normal rainfall for the month. Most other locations fared little better, with many regions experiencing only 20-40% of the typical precipitation. The only areas that received normal or above-average precipitation were parts of Iowa and portions of Wisconsin.

Percentage of Normal Precipitation Through Oct 30th

These dry conditions have exacerbated the drought across the region. At the beginning of the month, 21.78% of the area was free from drought. In contrast, yesterday’s drought monitor indicated that only 3.46% of the region remained drought-free. Even more alarmingly, the percentage of the region experiencing Moderate to Exceptional Drought conditions surged from 28.15% at the start of October to 74.51% by the end of it! Many experienced a 2-3 class degradation of drought conditions over the last 30 days!

What's New at TDS Weather?

Today marks the beginning of our winter weather consulting services for commercial clients, and we will be issuing our official winter weather outlook! If you own a business that relies on weather conditions for decision-making, please reach out to us at [email protected] to learn how we can assist you.
The TDS Weather App will soon receive an update! This update will introduce additional features and layers, many of which are designed specifically for the winter season. The updates include:
-          Video Playback
-          High-Resolution Mapping
-          Power Outages
-          Current Road and Pavement Conditions
& more!
 If you haven't downloaded the TDS Weather App yet, you can do so by following the links provided!