Here is a snapshot of conditions across the Midwest for August. The first map shows the actual precipitation, the second the departures from average, and the third shows the temperature departures from average. Overall, the region has been wet with temperatures close to average for August.
For Illinois, the statewide average is 1.8 inches, which is about 20 percent below average. The heaviest amounts of 3 to 5 inches have been just east of St. Louis August. Meanwhile, widespread areas in Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, have reported 3 to 6 inches of rain. It has been less wet in the eastern Corn Belt.
Here are the rainfall departures from the 1981-2010 average across the central US. Green means above-average and beige/yellow means below-average. Much of the region is at, or above average. A few dry spots include northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin; eastern Ohio, and North Dakota. 
Here are the temperature departures from average for August. Gray (or grey) areas indicate temperatures within a degree of the long-term average. While we have had some hot days, those have been counterbalanced by cooler ones. For Illinois, we are currently running 1 degree above average. 
A year ago, my computer crashed and I lost a web page address that showed a precipitation map that was interactive. I could call up daily , 7 day, 30 day and monthly precipitation. Monthly precipitation maps could be gotten for any month in the past years. Totals as well as departure from normal maps were acquired in an interactive manner. I believe it had an NOAA symbol. I could zoom in or out on a U.S. map.
Do you have any Idea of where that site is?
Nice to see these maps.
Randall Bogott 61014
Hey, great summary of August conditions across the Midwest! It’s interesting to see the rainfall variations, especially how the eastern Corn Belt seems drier than other areas. I’m curious, do you think this localized dryness in Illinois and that part of the Corn Belt will have any noticeable impact on crop yields this year?
Also, with the temperature departures being close to average overall, does that mean we can expect a fairly normal harvest season, or are there other factors that could still come into play? It would be great to see more detailed analysis in future posts, perhaps focusing on specific crop impacts and long-term trends. Keep up the informative work!