Note: The web address of the State Climatologist website has changed to https://www.isws.illinois.edu/statecli/ Please update your links to reflect this. Some links are still being fixed. I apologize for the confusion – I just learned about this myself on Friday afternoon.
February-March: The statewide average precipitation for the February-March period was 8.69 inches and the 4th wettest February-March on record. The wettest was 1898 at 8.96 inches. So we didn’t miss the record by too much. Here are the maps for the accumulated precipitation and departures from normal for February-March (click to enlarge). Precipitation is a measure of both the rainfall and the water content of any snow. These numbers are preliminary and subject to change.
March Precipitation: March ended up cooler and wetter than normal. The statewide average temperature was 38.7 degrees, 2.6 degrees below normal. The warmest reading for the month was 75 degrees at Kaskaskia River Navigation Dam on March 16. The coldest reading for the month was 10 degrees at Mt. Carroll on March 9.
March Temperature: The statewide average precipitation for March was 4.03 inches, 1.07 inches above normal. The largest monthly precipitation total was 8.38 inches at Carlyle, IL. Here are the maps of accumulated precipitation and departures from normal for the month of March.
March Snowfall: The snowfall pattern for March was largely the result of one storm on March 24-25 that extended from the Quad Cities to Danville. The largest monthly snowfall total for March was 11.4 inches at Eureka, IL. The rest of the state saw little snow in March.
So, what’s the outlook for April? According to the National Weather Service, more of the same – an increased chance of below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation for Illinois and the Midwest. Maps below.
We don’t get April showers, we get all year long showers and no flowers. 🙁