Snowy, Very Cold and Windy from the Northern Plains to Great Lakes; Critical Fire Weather in South Texas

Moderate to heavy lake effect snow is expected downwind of the Great Lakes, with the Chicago metro potentially receiving 6 to 12 inches of snowfall. A frigid airmass will bring very cold temperatures to the Central U.S. and Mississippi Valley today, migrating into the Eastern U.S. on Monday. Dry and windy weather will bring critical fire weather conditions to South Texas today. Read More >

December 2021 featured above normal temperatures, precipitation, and snowfall at nearly all climate sites. The only exception was below normal precipitation at Ashland. This comes as no surprise as December was a pretty active month with several storms passing through the region. Perhaps the most notable is the historic December 15/16 storm that brought nearly every type of weather to the region, including high winds, thunderstorms, record highs, and some snowfall. There were some high rainfall amounts from this system and not a lot of snow. Towards the end of the month, however, snowstorms caused monthly snowfall to creep above normal at both Duluth and International Falls. All of this has led to some drought improvements, with Extreme drought removed from the Arrowhead and most areas now experiencing abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions. Pockets of severe drought still persist across Koochiching County, the Arrowhead, and the Bayfield Peninsula.

Looking ahead, the CPC predicted below normal temperatures for January (as we have seen thus far) and equal chances for above or below normal temperatures through March. Generally equal chances or above normal precipitation predicted through March. If we do continue to see an active weather pattern, drought conditions should continue to improve overall.