2017 Spring Farm Magazine

36 / 44

Page 36 March 23, 2017 2017 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS
Attempting to forecast for the entire growing season
is mere speculation, perhaps based in some previous
pattern, but is likely to be purely speculative.
Before presenting a speculative forecast about the
upcoming growing season, LDN presents a review
of the weather in the Midwest from the recent
past according to the Midwest Regional Climate
Major Midwestern cities, including Indianapolis,
IN, Des Moines, IA, St. Louis, MO, Cleveland, OH
and Milwaukee, WI had their warmest February
on record. In addition, thousands of daily highest
maximum and highest minimum temperature
records were broken in the region (Figure 2). Many
monthly records for warmest one-day February
temperature were also broken, sometimes on
multiple occasions, between the dates of February
17-23. Maximum temperatures in the 60s and 70s
were common across a majority of the region during
the stretch of record warmth.
Dry to the south, wet to the north
Very dry conditions were common across Missouri,
Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, while wetter
conditions were common across northern Iowa,
Wisconsin, Northern Minnesota and the U.P. of
Michigan in February (Figure 3). Overall, the
Midwest had 1.25 inches of precipitation, which was
about 70 percent of the normal amount. Missouri
and Illinois ranked among the 10 driest years on
record (1895-2017), while Indiana and Kentucky
received only around half the normal amount.
Below-normal snowfall
Snowfall in the region was lower than normal across
most of the region. A snowstorm on February 23-
24 brought the only significant amount of snowfall
to Iowa and southern Minnesota. The only other
areas with near- to above-normal snowfall were
in extreme northern Minnesota and the U.P. of
Michigan. Most of Kentucky and Missouri received
no snowfall in February.
Warm and not very snowy winter
The winter season was warmer than normal across
the entire Midwest. The December through
February temperature of 29.6°F ranked among
the ten warmest on record. Most of this warmth
occurred in January and February. Milwaukee,
WI tied its warmest January through February on
record. Precipitation was near normal for the region
at 5.83 inches. Areas of northern Iowa, Wisconsin
and Minnesota received more than one and a half
times the normal amount of precipitation. However,
less than half the normal amount fell in Missouri
Continue 8