Early Spring warmth has got those soil temperatures rising. Soil temperatures near Bowling Green, KY have been above 50°F for a week now according to KY Mesonet data.
Our Soil Temp Climatology Tool says that's way ahead of schedule for Warren County ▶️ mrcc.purdue.edu/clim/Soil-T
A first look at the percent of normal snowfall for the Midwest for meteorological winter reveals:
⬇️ Below normal snowflal for much of MN, IA, northern IL, and northern MO
⬆️Above normal snowfall for parts of Michigan's UP, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, and northern KY
Are you tired of the snow? ❄️😴
If so, it may help to know when your city sees their average last measurable snow (0.1 inches). In Lexington, KY the average last snowfall is on March 10. For others, like the Twin Cities, it's not until April 7.
Check your city here ➡️ mrcc.purdue.edu/resources/cl...
We are still accepting applications for a summer intern!
The deadline is fast approaching next Monday, March 2 at 8AM.
Link to the full PDF description here ➡️https://mrcc.purdue.edu/files/staff/2026MRCCSummerIntern.pdf
Has it felt dry this winter? You're not imagining it.
So far this winter (Dec. 1-Present), it is the driest or near-driest winter in many locations.
These precipitation totals take into account both rain and snow. The rain part has been very lacking this winter.
Hopefully everyone has a great Valentine's Day this weekend!
AWSSI utilizes a point-scoring system that tallies points based on temperature and precipitation relative to each location's typical winter conditions.
We can measure this thanks to AWSSI ▶️ mrcc.purdue.edu/research/awssi
How severe is this winter where you are?
Many eastern locations are seeing a severe or extreme winter, while many western locations are seeing their WARMEST winter on record (so far).
Please note our website is down today due to planned campus-wide server maintenance.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
At the MRCC, we love interns--and we're excited to announce we're accepting applications for a 2026 summer intern!
It's a paid, full-time internship that runs from May through August. Must be availbale at least 9 of the 12 weeks.
More details here ➡️https://mrcc.purdue.edu/about/join-our-team
So, it's still really dry across Illinois. January brought snow, but not so much precipitation to give us some relief.
To give some idea of how dry it's been since August... the last 6 months is the 5th driest of any 6 month period on record in Bloomington-Normal, with only 7.10".
While this storm did cause an uptick in locations observing severe or even extreme winters in the east, the big AWSSI story remains out west where many stations are observing their warmest winter on record.
AWSSI ➡️ mrcc.purdue.edu/research/awssi
Our Top 10 Midwestern Weather Events of 2025 is live now!
The Midwest had it all--from record-breaking flooding in Wisconsin to an above-normal tornado season in almost every state🌪️🌧️❄️🌡️
mrcc.purdue.edu/climatesumma...
What was the wind chill by you this morning?
It was a flat 0°F here in West Lafayette, Indiana, and we certainly felt it.
Here in West Lafayette, wind chills less than or equal to 0°F generally happen 7-14 days a year.
Check your area here ➡️ mrcc.purdue.edu/clim/windchill
While we wait for regional and statewide records for 2025, we're looking at cli-MATE and checking local station records.
And in Fort Wayne, we had a big one: the driest year on record since records began there in 1897.
cli-MATE ➡️https://mrcc.purdue.edu/newclimate/home
AWSSI, AWSSI, AWSSI!!
AWSSI measures the severity of the current winter. We started off extreme in the East, though we're slowing down there.
But in the West? It's a record mild & dry winter, as denoted by many red diamonds.
AWSSI: mrcc.purdue.edu/research/awssi
The Midwestern Regional Climate Center will be closed beginning Monday, December 22, 2025 and lasting through Friday, January 2, 2026.
We thank everyone for your patronage throughout the year-- happy holidays & a healthy new year to all!
Just halfway through the month, our home of Lafayette has received 8.5 inches of snow this month. It's the second snowiest December (thus far) in the past 10 years & top 15 since records began here in 1954.
cli-MATE Monthly Ranking ➡️https://mrcc.purdue.edu/newclimate/station/monthly-ranking
AWSSI is accuulating fast in the east--and quite slow in the west!
Western locations are having a record mild start to winter
AWSSI ➡️https://mrcc.purdue.edu/research/awssi
How snowy was this past weekend?
Very!
Here are some daily snowfall records set across the Midwest, many of which date back to the late 1800s.
Winter is coming... and for some, the first snow has already occurred!
But did you know Chicago typically receives its first 3 inches of snow on December 21?
You can tailor the Snowfall Climatology Tool threshold yourself➡️https://mrcc.purdue.edu/.../climateTools/snowfallclimatology
3 ways for AWSSI to start:
-Snow greater than or equal to 0.1 inch.
-High temp. less than or equal to 32°F.
-Starts December 1 if conditions have not been observed
In Bozeman, none have been reached, making it the latest AWSSI start on record.
AWSSI ➡️ mrcc.purdue.edu/research/awssi
It looks like much of the northern U.S. has increasingly seen consistent freezing weather in the past month, while southern and coastal locations have not seen much consecutive cold weather yet.
Hours Below Freezing Tool ➡️https://mrcc.purdue.edu/gismaps/freeze_hourly
Since many locations across the lower Midwest and mid-South do not typically see measurable snow this early in November, many observing sites are seeing an "Extreme" start to winter, according to AWSSI.
This is very much subject to change.
AWSSI ➡️https://mrcc.purdue.edu/research/awssi
The Midwest saw our first measurable snow this week & in some spots, it was at least 1-inch.
Some major climate sites do not typically report 1-inch of snowfall until early December, so we're a month ahead of schedule.
Snowfall Climatology Toolbox ➡️ mrcc.purdue.edu/resources/cl...
October was a warm one, especially west of the Mississippi River where average October temperatures were close to 10°F above normal for the month.
On Halloween 2019, the de facto capital of the Midwest, Chicago, observed over 3 inches of snow--how about that for a spooky day of weather 👻🎃
This Date In History Tool ▶️https://mrcc.purdue.edu/newclimate/station/daily-datehistory
New cli-MATE is live on our website, and we're here to help!
Join MRCC climatologists for a virtual cli-MATE help desk session tomorrow, Thursday, October 30 from 10am-12pm EDT.
No registration required! Just follow the link in the image ⬇️
We're back up and running!
