Wet Start to a Normally Wet Month

Rainfall

On average, May is the wettest month of the year in Illinois with a statewide normal of 4.62 inches. And so far, this May is living up to that reputation. The two maps below show the rainfall totals through this morning (May 11) for northern and southern Illinois. Rainfall totals were heaviest in the northeast quarter of the state with many areas receiving between 2 and 3 inches or more (shades of yellow and beige). Areas in green are a little lower and range from 0.5 to 2 inches (depending on the shade of green).

Continue reading “Wet Start to a Normally Wet Month”

Dry Spot in West-Central Illinois

Illinois has had a persistent dry spot in west-central Illinois since the beginning of 2016. Here is a map of the precipitation departures from normal for the last 90 days. The band from Quincy to Peoria is about 2 to 4 inches below normal.

The good news is that a lot of the dry weather happened during January, February, and March, when demands on soil moisture, rivers, and lakes were very low. If this had occurred in the middle of summer, it would be a different story.  Continue reading “Dry Spot in West-Central Illinois”