The conditions in southern Illinois could not be farther apart than the last two years. Last year finished as being one the wettest on record while this year is shaping up to be one of the driest on record.
Here are some startling statistics for Carbondale. From January 1 to July 17 this year, Carbondale has received only 12.66 inches. For the same period last year, Carbondale had already received 44.62 inches. That is about four times more rainfall last year than this year up to this point. Carbondale went on to accumulate 69.97 inches in 2011, making it the second wettest year in Carbondale history. The table below shows the monthly rainfall in inches for 2011, 2012, and normal. Below the table are maps showing the year to date rainfall in 2011 and 2012.
Total69.9712.6647.17
| Month | 2011 | 2012 | Normal |
| January | 1.54 | 3.02 | 3.06 |
| February | 3.93 | 1.74 | 3.08 |
| March | 5.34 | 3.92 | 4.15 |
| April | 14.84 | 2.17 | 4.45 |
| May | 7.41 | 0.40 | 5.37 |
| June | 7.93 | 0.99 | 4.51 |
| July | 4.97 | 0.42* | 3.66 |
| August | 1.37 | – | 3.26 |
| September | 7.41 | – | 3.14 |
| October | 1.89 | – | 3.81 |
| November | 8.21 | – | 4.63 |
| December | 5.13 | – | 4.05 |
| Total | 69.97 | 12.66 | 47.17 |
*as of July 17, 2012
