Illinois experienced a wet start to September, thanks in part to Tropical Storm Gordon. The statewide average rainfall through yesterday morning was 3.55 inches. That is above the 3.24 normal rainfall for the entire month of September. The highest month-to-date rainfall total was 10.15 inches and came from Clay City (east of St. Louis).
Here is another look at the rainfall totals (left) and the departures from normal (right) for September 1-9, 2018. Areas in red received 5 to 8 inches of rain. Areas in yellow received 2 to 5 inches. Only a few spots near St. Louis and south of Chicago received less than 2 inches of rain.
What impact does this have on drought?
The area in far western Illinois that was in serious drought conditions all summer received 4 to 8 inches of rain in the last week. Areas in north-central and southeastern Illinois also received some relief, although not quite a dramatic as western Illinois.
Overall, the major impact of the recent rains on Illinois will be in slowing down the fall harvest. The good news is that no significant rain is expected in Illinois for the next 7 days, according to the National Weather Service.
