Eastern Cornbelt:
The new year began with mostly dry conditions across the Eastern Cornbelt, with highs reaching the upper-30s. Freezing rain was reported in parts of northern Illinois on New Year’s Eve, with a small chance of rain and ice again on Jan. 4 in areas north of Interstate 80.
Parts of Indiana and Ohio were bracing for a wintry mix of precipitation over the coming weekend, with 1-2 inches of lake-effect snow expected in some locations. Michigan also experienced spotty snow flurries during the week, with temperatures falling to the mid-20s to low-30s as the week progressed.
Western Cornbelt:
Conditions remained dry in Iowa, with temperatures slightly above average for this time of year. The dry, mild weather followed the second warmest December on record for Des Moines, which notched an average 37.4 degrees for the month, well above the monthly norm of 27.7 degrees.
Des Moines also recorded just 0.2 inches of snowfall in December, a full 7.7 inches below the monthly average. Nebraska’s winter snowfall was also below average, though several systems were expected to drop an inch or two of accumulation in south-central areas of the state late in the week.
Missouri was also bracing for a mix of rain and snow by the coming weekend, with minimal accumulation expected.
Northern Plains:
Dense fog blanketed parts of central and southeastern South Dakota during the week, with lows dropping to the teens and 20s and highs reaching the low- to mid-30s.
Similar temperatures were reported in Minnesota and North Dakota, with snow flurries in the weekend forecast. Both states were hit with an ice storm over the holidays that caused power outages and road closures, including portions of Interstates 29 and 94.
Northeast:
Cold air pushed into the Northeast as the week progressed, with highs in New England dropping from the 40s at midweek down to wind chills in the single digits by the end of the week.
The cold front also ushered in the potential for snowfall, with 4-8 inches of accumulation possible in northern New England over the weekend. Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region were expecting mostly rain from the weekend system.
Eastern Canada:
Colder temperatures blanketed Ontario during the first week of 2024, which was a notable difference from December. In a Jan. 2 report, Environment Canada said Toronto posted its second-warmest December on record, with only 12 centimeters of snow recorded during the month, well below the average of 25 centimeters.
Snow flurries and blustery winds were reported in southern Quebec late in the week, with temperatures falling to subzero lows. The heaviest snowfall was expected in the Maritimes, where weekend totals of 15-25 cm were in the forecast for Nova Scotia. Much colder weather was also on tap in the Maritimes, with wind chills falling to double digits below zero.