The start of 2021 was above average in terms of temperatures with snowfall falling mostly below average for most of the Midwest. Temperatures were 2.5-5 degrees above normal with afternoon highs mainly in the upper 30s; however, Chicago was mainly in the lower 30s. That cold air made a significant difference as storm systems moved through allowing mainly snow to occur rather than a wintry mix or rain. As a result, below average snowfall was observed from Indianapolis to Columbus, while Chicago was well above average. Chicago doubled their amount of normal snowfall for the month of January with 21.9” (normal is 10.9" at O'Hare Airport). In terms of all time January snowfall, this ranked as the 6th snowiest January of all time. The January cold and snow in Chicago then flooded into the entire Midwest for the month of February. In terms of temperatures, February was 8 - 10 degrees below normal for all cities. This cold air coupled with an active pattern led to a huge spike in wintry events and snowfall. In fact, some cities tripled or even quadruped their average snowfall for the month. February 2021 was the 2nd and 5th snowiest February of all time in Cincinnati (21.9”) and Dayton (14.8”) respectively. All in all, the heart of winter across the Midwest will be one to remember!
While January featured a plethora of wintry events most of them were on the magnitude of coating to 3”. That being said, the snowier stretches took place from the 15th - 18th and especially January 30th and 31st. The first stretch mainly dropped 1- 3” across the Midwest while the second period dropped over 10” in Chicago! As this storm headed east, the storm weakened, which only led to 2-4”. There weren't many noticeable cold snaps during the month as well, but the main cold stretch took place between 22nd - 29th with some nights falling into the upper single digits to lower teens. Any icing from freezing rain throughout January wasn’t too heavy, but a few storms (especially on the 1st and 25th) produced up to 0.10” of icy glaze and were most impactful.
February started off on a snowy note with a stretch of systems that led to mainly 2 - 4” of snow across the Midwest especially in Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus. After this storm, the polar vortex swung in from Canada leading to average temperatures 10-30 degrees below normal. This coupled with an active storm track that led to almost daily light snowfall across the Midwest. After these disturbances, a potent storm system led to the next significant round of snowfall between the 8th -10th. Most areas saw 4 - 6” but the winner of this system was Cincinnati. Rates of 1-2” per hour developed across the city leading to over 10” of snow which doubled their normal amount for the entire month! The same story continued after this major event with daily snow showers and cold weather before an impressive multi day storm pushed in from the 13-16th. While some periods were moderate to heavy, the sheer duration of this storm was impressive, with some areas seeing snow for 3 days straight. Overall, it dropped the most snow in Chicago with up to 10”, but areas like Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Dayton saw mainly 6-8” with Columbus falling just short of that range. Overall, the snowy and cold pattern lasted through the 21st, before temperatures finally decided to moderate. A warm SE ridge pushed in warmer air causing temperatures to rise into the upper 50s to lower 60s on the 24th which was 14 degrees above average. Otherwise, the milder temperatures lasted through the end of the month with a few minor disturbances, but these were mostly rain.
