Northern and central Illinois saw widespread heavy rains on April 18-19, 2013. As a result, widespread flooding occurred first at the local level and then along major rivers by the weekend. Last year we had the drought; this year we have what I’m calling the “anti-drought”.
Below is the multi-sensor precipitation map for the 7-day period ending April 19, 2013. This map is based on radar-estimated precipitation and calibrated using available raingauges. Some of the heaviest rains fell north of a line between Quincy and Kankakee. Areas in purple reported between 6 and 8 inches, while the areas in the two shades of red were between 4 and 6 inches. Areas to the south of Interstate 70 escaped the heavier rains.
The second map is the precipitation situation for the year to date, expressed as a percent of “normal” or long-term average. The entire state is above average with the percentages getting larger (wetter) northward. In general, I would characterize the southern third of the state as being 110 to 150 percent of average so far. The central third of Illinois is between 150 and 200 percent of average and the northern third is between 200 and 300 percent of average.
The last figure is a photo that I took on my commercial flight from Chicago to Champaign on Thursday afternoon, just after the worst of the rain had fallen. It is not the best photo in the world because it was gloomy, foggy, and the flight was rough. But it does show how saturated the fields were at this point.
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