The Midwestern Regional Climate Center provides high-quality climate data and value-added tools for our nine-state Midwest region. Located at Purdue University.
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ALT A U.S. Drought Monitor map valid October 20, 2026, highlights conditions across Midwestern states. Northern Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin are experiencing the most intense drought while moderate drought covers large parts of Minnesota, Illinois, and Kentucky.
ALT This map displays the 60-day percent of normal precipitation across the central United States, valid as of October 17, 2026. Below-normal precipitation conditions stretch across parts of the Upper and Lower Midwest. Above-normal precipitation stretches across central areas of the Midwest, especially Iowa.
ALT Something different for today's Weather Story. This slide displays a table of data in various shades of light blue, under the title in big white letters stating, Recent Indianapolis Records, with subtitle in lemon yellow of much smaller font, Daily Records Tied or Broken at Indianapolis Since June 1st. The five columns of the table are Date, Record Type, New value, Old value, and Year of old record, while each row represents a new record. There are nine records, seven of which are record high minimum temperatures: first, July 3, 77, tied minimum for the date in 1911; then September 2, 3 and 4 which were 75, 75, and 77, respectively, passing old records of 74 from 1937, 1913, and 1884. September 16's was 75, breaking 74 from 1931. October 13 and 14 both had record high minimums of 66, breaking 64 from 1879 and tying 2021, respectively. Then two of the nine records were regular record highs (maximums) of 87 and 88 on October 12 and 13, surpassing 86 from both 1879 and 1975.
ALT Vegetation Impact Program Freeze Guidance Susceptibility as of 10/19
ALT Average first fall freeze date for Muscatine County, Iowa is October 16
ALT Average first fall freeze date for Dane County, Wisconsin is October 11
ALT Average first fall freeze date for Dakota County, Minnesota in the Twin Cities area is October 8
ALT October 12 was the latest day in the calendar year with 92°F warmth ever recorded in St. Louis, Missouri.
ALT Des Moines had 4 consecutive days of max temperatures at or above 85°F, the latest on record
ALT Springfield had its latest day above 90°F in the calendar year since records began in 1879
ALT Map of the U.S. showing precipitation percentiles for September 2026 with wetter areas in gradients of green and drier areas in gradients of brown.
ALT Map of the U.S. showing temperature percentiles for September 2026 with warmer areas in gradients of red and cooler areas in gradients of blue.
ALT Map displaying Vegetation Impact Program Freeze Guidance Submissions by NWS forecast area as of 10/7/2026
ALT Warmest September on record in Columbia, Missouri with avg. temp of 77°F
ALT Warmest September on record in Indy with average temperature of 73.8°F
ALT Warmest September on record in St. Lousi with average temp of 78.4°F
ALT Shortly after 2 PM EDT, unofficially Indianapolis recorded the warmest September ever with the average temperature of 73.8 degrees! This breaks the old record of 73.7 degrees set in 2019.
ALT 3 Steps for Flash Floods: 1. Get to higher ground (get out of the areas subject to flooding). 2. Do not drive into water (do NOT drive or walk into flooded areas. It only takes 6 inches of water to knock you off your feet). 3. Stay informed: Monitor local radar, television, weather radio, internet or social media for updates. During a flood, water levels and the rate at which the water is flowing can quickly change. Remain aware and monitor local radio and television. WHEN FLOODED TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN
ALT Climate Summary Table for Lafayette maximum and minimum records for each month in th eperiod of record
ALT Climate Summary Table for Lafayette detailing number of days at extreme thresholds for each month
ALT Climate Summary Table detailing normals for Lafayette