Based on preliminary data, the statewide average temperature for spring in Illinois was 55.3 degrees, 3.3 degrees above normal and the fourth warmest spring on record. Warmer than normal conditions prevailed in the spring months of March (+2.5 degrees), April (+6.2 degrees), and May (+1.3 degrees).
The statewide average precipitation for spring was 11.97 inches, just 0.7 inches above normal. This is notably less than the 15.83 inches that fell in the spring of 2009 and the 14.21 inches that fell in the spring of 2008.
Climatologists and meteorologists tend to use the calendar months of March-May to define spring and not the astronomical definition from the vernal equinox (usually March 20) to the summer solstice (usually June 21). The calendar months better match the climate of Illinois. Our winter weather usually diminishes by early to mid March across much of Illinois and summer weather usually arrives long before June 21.
