January 1-9, 2001

The beginning of the New Year was rather calm and dry in the Midwest. A few weak clipper systems brought what little weather that was seen in the first 10 days of January, with almost all activity confined to the northern portions of the region. The longstanding trough that brought a cold December to the central and eastern U.S. faded in early January, and a more zonal flow bringing warmer conditions. Temperatures in the western Midwest reached up to 15°F above normal, while the south-central and southeastern Midwest remained near normal or slightly below normal (Figure 4). The dryness of the period is seen on the map of total precipitation (Figure 5). Much of the western and southern Midwest received no measurable precipitation this week. Of the few small clippers passing through, the one on January 6-7 brought most of the snow received in the Great Lakes area during the period (Figure 6). Some areas in the UP of Michigan received more than one and one-half feet of snow before the trailing lake-effect snow was done on the 8th. However, the regional snow pack retreated rapidly, especially in the western and southern parts of the Midwest (Figure 7).