Category: Climate Monitoring

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Cool, Wet May ends Wet Spring

May was much colder and moderately wetter than average across Illinois, bringing an end to a wet climatological spring season. The preliminary statewide average May temperature was 60.5 degrees, 2.2 degrees below the 30-year normal and the 39th coldest on record. Preliminary statewide average total precipitation for May was 5.41 inches, 0.81 inches wetter than the 30-year normal and the 25th wettest on record.

Data are provisional and may change slightly over time

Cool Start to May, Very Late Freeze

Following a cool April, temperatures for the first half of May were mostly below average. As the temperature plot from Quincy shows (below), May temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees below average between May 8 and May 13.

Most stations in the northern two-thirds of the state observed daily minimum temperatures below freezing during the six-day stretch. The map below shows observed minimum temperatures on the morning of May 10, and below freezing temperatures as far south as Hardin County. The 24-degree minimum temperature observed in Normal was the second lowest May temperature observed at that station since observations began there in 1893. Although May freezes are not uncommon in Illinois, many tender perennials and flowering trees were at a more vulnerable state because of the warm start to this calendar year.

Minimum temperatures observed on the morning of May 9, 2020.

Between May 6 and May 13, 37 daily low minimum temperature records and 40 low maximum temperature records were broken across the state. In addition, stations in Paxton, Joliet, Normal, and Princeton broke their all-time May low minimum temperature records on May 9. All four stations have data records going back at least 30 years.

A shift in the predominant winds brought warmer and more humid weather for the last two weeks of May. The dew point temperature is a good indicator of humidity because the dew point is the temperature to which the air would need to be cooled to reach saturation (relative humidity of 100%). Therefore, higher dew point temperatures indicate higher humidity. The air will begin to feel humid when dew point temperatures are between 55 and 60 degrees, and dew points exceeding 70 degrees indicate conditions that are oppressive, or very humid. Dew point temperatures were well above average throughout the state during the last 10 days in May. At 6 p.m. on May 26, the station at the Effingham County Memorial Airport observed a 77-degree dew point temperature. This was only the third time since observations began at the Effingham airport in 1948 that a May dew point temperature exceeding 75 degrees was observed.

May average temperatures ranged from the high 50s in northern Illinois to the low 60s in southern Illinois. May was colder than average in all but the very northeastern corner of the state. Overall, the May statewide average temperature was 60.5 degrees, which was 2.2 degrees below the 30-year normal and 39th coldest on record.

Both April and May this year were colder than normal statewide, following three consecutive warmer than normal months to start the year. Although official numbers will not be released until later this month, it is likely the 2020 climatological spring was very close to the 30-year normal.

Another Record-Breaking Wet Spring in Chicago

May started dry, with most areas of the state receiving less than an inch of rain in the first two weeks. However, a series of storms moved across the Interstate 55 corridor around the middle of the month, leaving widespread totals of 2 to 4 inches between the St. Louis Metro East and Chicagoland.

The months of May through September tend to have a larger percentage of precipitation that comes from small-scale convective storms than cold season months. Despite their size, these storms can generate large precipitation totals in a matter of hours; however, because of their size and relatively short lifespan, they can create large disparities in precipitation over short distances. The storms that moved through the state in the middle of last month generated very heavy rainfall over the Chicagoland area and resulted in over 7 inches of rain in four days over a large area of the city and suburbs. Over 3.5 inches was recorded at Chicago’s O’Hare airport on May 14, the largest single-day May precipitation total ever recorded at that station.

The rainfall resulted in the wettest May on record at both Chicago O’Hare (9.51 inches) and Midway (7.65 inches) airport stations. At O’Hare, this last month broke the previous May record set last year in 2019, which at that time broke the previous record set in 2018. This makes three consecutive years that the O’Hare station has broken May total precipitation records, and all five of the wettest Mays on record at O’Hare have occurred since 2004.

Heavy rainfall across northern and central Illinois led to flash flooding in developed areas as well as inundated fields and standing water in rural parts of the state. Gauges in both the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers topped flood stage, including a likely new record crest on the Illinois River at Morris.

Overall, May total precipitation ranged from over 9 inches in northeast Illinois to just under four inches in southeast and far western Illinois. Most of the state received between 100 percent and 150 percent of normal May precipitation, while the Chicagoland area received over 200 percent of normal. Only southeast Illinois, from Washington to Massac Counties, was drier than normal but still received around 90 percent of normal May precipitation.

The statewide average total May precipitation was 5.41 inches, which is 0.81 inches more than the 30-year normal and 25th wettest on record.

May ended a wetter than average climatological spring, with most areas of the state receiving between 100 percent and 125 percent of normal precipitation. Interestingly, the statewide average spring total precipitation has been above the 30-year normal only 5 times in the past 10 years: 2020, 2019, 2017, 2013, and 2011. However, the average departure from normal in those five years was 4.75 inches, whereas the average departure from normal on the five drier than normal springs was only -1.38 inches. This means that although we’ve had an even split between drier and wetter than normal springs over the past decade, the wet springs have been very wet.

Although only trace snowfall occurred this last month, most areas in northern Illinois experienced more snowfall than average in the climatological spring. Spring snowfall totals ranged from less than an inch in most of central Illinois to over six inches along the Interstate 80 corridor.

Outlooks

Short-term 8- to 14-day outlooks from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center show elevated odds of both above normal precipitation and above normal temperatures across the state.

Longer-term outlooks for climatological summer show continued elevated odds of wetter than normal conditions, but equal chances of above normal, normal, and below normal temperature.

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The Dry April That Wasn’t

April ended colder and wetter than average across the state. The preliminary statewide average April temperature was 49.2 degrees, 3.4 degrees below the 30-year normal and tied for the 27th coldest on record going back to 1895. The preliminary statewide average total April precipitation was 4.36 inches, 0.58 inches above than the 30-year normal and the 43rd wettest on record.

Data are provisional and may change slightly over time

April Temperature Rollercoaster

Warm weather spilled over from March into the beginning of April. Average temperatures between April 1 and April 10 ranged from 1 to 6 degrees above the 30-year normal across the state. A strong cold front moved through the region between April 9 and 11, with following unseasonably cold air that quickly decreased temperatures. Average temperatures between April 11 and 20 ranged from 5 to 15 degrees below normal (see maps below).

Many stations across the state recorded daily maximum temperatures in the mid- to high 80s during the first 10 days of April, only to record daily minimum temperatures in the mid- to low 20s in the second 10 days. For example, stations in McHenry and Woodford Counties recorded high temperatures of 82 degrees on April 9 and one week later recorded low temperatures of 20 degrees on April 16. Fourteen stations around the state broke daily April high maximum temperature records and three stations broke daily April high minimum temperature records between April 7 and 12. Subsequently, 20 stations broke the daily April low maximum temperature records and 30 stations broke the April low minimum temperature records between April 13 and 20.

The plots below show daily maximum and minimum temperatures, as well as daily average temperature departures from normal, for April in Jacksonville. The average temperature in Jacksonville on April 8 was nearly 20 degrees above the long-term average, and the average temperature 10 days later on April 18 was nearly 20 degrees below the long-term average.

Overall, April average temperatures ranged from the low 30s in northern Illinois to the mid-50s in southern Illinois. April was cooler than normal across the state. The preliminary statewide average April temperature was 49.2 degrees, 3.4 degrees cooler than normal and the 27th coldest on record back to 1895. April ended the consecutive four-month streak of warmer than normal months going back to December 2019.

Spring Freeze

As a result of the strong cold front that moved through the region in mid-April, minimum temperatures dipped below freezing as far south as Pope County. Stations in northwest Illinois recorded minimum temperatures in the teens on April 8. Late-season freeze events in early to mid-April are not uncommon; however, last month’s event followed a prolonged period of well above average temperatures. The plot below shows daily average temperature departures from the 30-year normal from March and April in Carbondale. Between March 1 and April 12, Carbondale experienced twice as many warmer than normal days than cooler than normal days. Furthermore, the minimum temperature in Carbondale last dipped below freezing on March 7 before reaching 30 degrees on April 14.

Flowering trees, shrubs, and tender perennials broke dormancy and began to green in response to prolonged warm conditions throughout March and early April. This increased the vulnerability of Illinois specialty crops such as peaches, strawberries, and asparagus to the late-season freeze. University of Illinois Extension reported some damage to specialty crops in most regions of the state as a result of the freeze event in mid-April. The extent of damage was likely curtailed by successful warming of the sub-freezing temperatures five to seven days prior to the event.

Heavy Late-April Rain

The first two-thirds of last month was somewhat to very dry across the state, with most areas experiencing less than 50 percent of normal precipitation by April 20 (see maps below). The station in Rosiclaire in Hardin County recorded less than one-half an inch of rainfall in the first 22 days in April, putting last month on track for one of the driest Aprils on record. Likewise, areas of east-central Illinois were experiencing a 2-inch precipitation deficit by April 22. The prolonged dry conditions caused soils to dry considerably. Both 4-inch and 8-inch soils at the Illinois Climate Network station in Bondville in Champaign County were at their driest April levels since 2012. The dryness was quite a contrast to April 2019 and was beneficial for farmers to make planting progress.

The dry weather was brought to an abrupt end by a series of storms that tracked across Illinois over the last week in April, generating very heavy rainfall and widespread 2- to 4-inch accumulations along the Interstate 55 corridor between the St. Louis Metro East and Chicagoland (see map below). The heaviest rainfall was in central Illinois between Mason and McLean Counties.

The Bloomington Waterworks station recorded 4.99 inches on April 26, which was the largest single-day April precipitation event on record at that station going back to 1949. The wettest point in the state last month was Havana in Mason County. The Havana station recorded just over 2 inches of precipitation in the first 22 days of April and was experiencing nearly a three-quarter-inch precipitation deficit at that time. Havana received nearly 6 inches of precipitation in the following seven days and ended the month with an all-time April record-breaking precipitation total of 7.8 inches (see plot below).

Heavy precipitation in late April caused flash flooding across central and northeastern Illinois as well as inundated fields and resultant planting delays. Additionally, many gauges along the Illinois River, Des Plaines River, and Mississippi River south of Hardin were pushed into the flood stage.

Total March precipitation ranged from just under 8 inches in central Illinois to less than 2 inches in southeastern and northwestern Illinois. These totals ranged from over 175 percent of average April precipitation in central to less than 50 percent of average April precipitation in southern Illinois.

Overall, the preliminary statewide average April precipitation was 4.36 inches, 0.58 inches above than the 30-year normal and the 43rd wettest on record. The April average does not reflect the 5- to 6-inch differences in precipitation between central and northern/southern Illinois.

Most of the northern half of the state experienced measurable snowfall last month. April totals ranged from over 8 inches in north central Illinois to just over one-tenth of an inch along Interstate 72. A single storm in mid-April produced widespread 24-hour snowfall totals between 1 and 3 inches in central and northern Illinois, with a few much larger isolated totals. Areas of Warren, Henry, Knox, and Mercer Counties received more than 6 inches of snowfall in a single day, including the third and fifth highest single day April snowfall totals in Kewanee and Galesburg, respectively. This event was also the latest 5-inch or larger snowfall event on record at nearly a dozen stations around the state.

With April on the books, the total 2019–2020 season snowfall ranged from over 50 inches in far northern Illinois to less than 1 inch in southeastern Illinois. Most areas of the state north of Interstate 70 experienced a snowier than average season (see maps below).

Outlooks

Short-term 8–14-day outlooks from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center show strongly elevated odds of below normal temperatures and slightly elevated odds of above normal precipitation across the state.

Longer-term 30-day outlooks are similar to the 8–14-day outlooks, with continued, albeit weaker, chances of cooler and drier conditions, especially for the northeastern half of the state for May. 

 

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Warm, Wet, and Active Spring

March was warmer and wetter than average across the state, continuing the pattern from winter. The preliminary statewide average March temperature was 43.5 degrees, 2.20 degrees above the 30-year normal and the 28th warmest on record going back to 1895. Preliminary statewide average total March precipitation was 3.96 inches, 1 inch wetter than the 30-year normal and tied for the 34th wettest on record.

Data are provisional and may change slightly over time

Persistent Warmth in March

Much like the first two months of 2020, March temperatures were consistently above the long-term average.

The first two months of the climatological winter season were much warmer than average, with very few cold air incursions. The plot below shows the March daily average temperature as a departure from average in Rockford. Since the start of 2020, over 70 percent of days in Rockford have been warmer than the long-term average. This has caused 2-inch and 4-inch soil temperatures to generally remain above freezing over this time, according to observations from the Illinois Climate Network (https://www.isws.illinois.edu/warm/soil/).

Average temperatures in March ranged from the high 30s in northern Illinois to the low 50s in southern Illinois. Temperatures ranged between 1 and 5 degrees above the long-term average. The statewide average March temperature was 43.5 degrees, which is 2.20 degrees above the 30-year normal and tied for the 28th warmest on record. March marked the fourth consecutive month with statewide average temperatures above the 30-year normal. By comparison, the first three months of 2019 were all 1 to 3 degrees below the 30-year normal, considerably cooler than 2020 so far.

The warm weather in March resulted in three daily high maximum temperature records and seven daily high minimum temperature records being broken across the state. The few cold, cloudy days we had in March also resulted in six daily low maximum temperature records and one daily low minimum temperature record being broken across the state. The long-running station in Carbondale was only 1 degree away from its all-time March high minimum temperature record on March 28, thanks to a strong mid-latitude warm sector bringing warm air from the south. Multiple stations in southern Illinois recorded daily maximum temperatures at or over 80 degrees during the last week in March. At one of these stations, Fairfield in Wayne County, this was two weeks before the average first 80-degree day based on the long-term record.

The highest temperature recorded in the state in March was 81 degrees in Alexander, Pope, and Hardin Counties, while the lowest temperature was 8 degrees in Jo Daviess, Knox, and Whiteside Counties.

Storms Bring Heavy Rain to Northern and Southern Illinois

Frequent precipitation persisted from February into March for the southern part of the state. Most areas south of Interstate 64 received over 6 inches of total precipitation in March, and some areas received over 8 inches. This represents between 150 percent and 200 percent of normal March precipitation in southern Illinois (see map below). Most stations in southern Illinois received 50 percent or more of their total March precipitation in one 24-hour period between March 20 and 21, thanks to a series of storms that tracked across the region.

One-day precipitation totals reached 4.50 inches in Clay County, which set the all-time March one-day precipitation record at the station in Clay City and broke the previous record by over three-quarters of an inch. Other large one-day totals from the March 20 storms included 3.85 inches in Mt. Vernon in Jefferson County and 3.55 inches in Olney in Richland County. With these one-day totals subtracted, March 2020 was very close to March 2019 total precipitation in southern Illinois; however, because of this event, most areas in southeast Illinois received between 1.5 and 2.5 times the amount of March 2019 precipitation this month.

Although March precipitation totals in northern Illinois were not as generous as those in the south, northern Illinois was not averse to very large one-day precipitation totals. A series of storms that moved through on March 28 generated between 3 and 4 inches of precipitation in a less than 24-hour period for a stretch of Illinois between the Quad Cities and the western suburbs. One CoCoRaHS observer in Prophetstown in Whiteside County recorded 5.34 inches on this day. Unfortunately, the heaviest precipitation missed the longer-term COOP stations in the region, but the storm did manage to break the all-time March one-day precipitation total in DeKalb.

Total March precipitation ranged from over 8 inches in far southern and southeast Illinois to just over 2 inches in central Illinois. These totals ranged from over 200 percent of average March precipitation in southeastern and northern Illinois to just over 75 percent of average March precipitation in western Illinois. Most of central Illinois received between 75 percent and 125 percent of average March precipitation. This combined with above average temperatures allowed soils to dry a bit across central and western Illinois.

Last month was the wettest March on record at Rock Island Lock & Dam 15, with 6.17 inches recorded. The wettest place in the state last month was Clay City with 8.31 inches.

Overall, the preliminary statewide average total March precipitation was 3.96 inches, exactly 1 inch more than the 30-year normal and the 34th wettest on record. Although the March average does not reflect the 5- to 6-inch differences in precipitation between central and northern/southern Illinois.

Most of the northern half of the state experienced measurable snowfall last month. March totals ranged from around 6 inches in northeast Illinois to just over one-tenth of an inch along the Interstate 70 corridor. A winter storm on March 22 and 23 accounted for the vast majority of snowfall in the northern part of the state, with one-day totals exceeding 6 inches in Grundy County. Morris in Grundy County was the snowiest point in the state in March, with just over 7 inches of total snowfall.

March total snowfall departures mimic the spatial patterns for the entire winter season. Most areas of western, northwest, and west-central Illinois had totals within 5 inches of the long-term average, whereas most counties south of Interstate 70 as well as counties in the Chicagoland metro area have experienced 5 to 10 inches below average snowfall since the first snow of the season.

Severe Weather

Illinois experiences severe weather and storms in all calendar months, but March often begins the unofficial severe weather season. This last month we had numerous severe weather and storm reports, ranging from snowstorms to large hail and a few tornadoes. Trained spotters reported 2-inch hail in both Williamson and Vermilion Counties last month, with many more reports of 1.5- to 1.75-inch hail across southern and central Illinois. The AWOS station in Hyde Park in Cook County recorded a 61 mph non-thunderstorm wind gust on March 29. Finally, multiple tornadoes were reported in Illinois last month in southern and west-central Illinois, including three tornadoes between Peoria and the Quad Cities on March 28. One of these, an EF-1 tornado, developed just a quarter mile east of the Peoria International Airport, according to the Lincoln National Weather Service https://www.weather.gov/ilx/032820Tornadoes).

 Outlooks

Short-term 8-14-day outlooks from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center show strongly elevated odds of both above normal precipitation and above normal temperatures across the state.

Longer-term 30-day outlooks are similar to the 8-14 day outlooks, with continued elevated chances of warmer and wetter conditions across the state for April.

Heavy precipitation in northwest and southern Illinois, combined with continual snowmelt in the Upper Midwest has continued the threat of flooding along most major rivers in Illinois. Currently, gauges along the Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois, and Wabash Rivers are at or above minor flood stage, with nine gauges in moderate flooding, according to the National Weather Service River Forecast Center.

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October: Heat to Snow

We saw highly variable temperatures across the state this month, with record-breaking heat in the early part of October, and record-breaking cold in the latter part. The preliminary statewide October average temperature was 53.7 degrees, less than 1 degree below our 30-year normal. Temperatures were near normal in eastern Illinois, and between 2 and 6 degrees below normal across western Illinois. Preliminary data suggest October was considerably wetter than normal for the entire state. The statewide average October precipitation total was 5.20 inches, approximately 2 inches above the 30-year normal. The wet deviations were particularly large in the northern and southern reaches of the state.

Data are provisional and may change slightly over time

Temperature Variability

Record-breaking high temperatures persisted from September into early October. Average temperatures during the first four days of October were 10 to 14 degrees above normal in the southeast part of the state, and 3 to 8 degrees above normal for the northwest part (see map below). Maximum temperatures broke 90 degrees and minimum temperatures remained in the 70s for several days in southern Illinois. Stations in Saint Clair and White Counties reached 96 degrees on October 2.  Between October 1 and October 4, 46 daily high maximum temperature records and 73 daily high minimum temperature records were broken across Illinois, according to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Additionally, 9 stations broke their all-time October high maximum temperature records, and 13 stations broke their all-time October high minimum temperature records. In one particularly extreme event, the October 1 nighttime minimum temperature at Kaskaskia Lock and Dam in Randolph County was 72 degrees, 10 degrees above the previous daily record and 2 degrees above the all-time October minimum temperature record at that station.

Seasonable temperatures ensued after the heat was broken toward the end of the first week of October. Temperatures from October 5 to October 27 were near normal in eastern Illinois and between 3 and 6 degrees below normal for western Illinois (see map below). Nearly all the state experienced the first fall frost event in the second week of October. Nighttime minimum temperatures dipped below 32 degrees as far south as Pope County and below 28 degrees in Warren and Jo Daviess Counties.

The heat wave that started the month was matched by a strong burst of cold air to close out the month. Temperatures between October 28 and October 31 were 8 to 16 degrees below normal. Similarly, 48 daily low maximum temperature records and 12 daily low minimum temperature records were broken across Illinois over the last four days of the month. Nighttime minimum temperatures dropped below 30 degrees as far south as Pulaski County. The lowest minimum temperature observed in October was 14 degrees in both Carroll and Lee Counties on Halloween night. Halloween was also the coldest on record for 51 stations across Illinois.

The temperature contrast between the start and end of this month may be best summarized in the graph below, which shows daily maximum and minimum temperatures at Springfield Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport this last month. There was a 57° difference between daily maximum temperatures on October 1st and October 31st in Springfield, both of which broke daily records. In fact, 10 Illinois COOP stations broke their daily high maximum temperature record on October 1st and their daily low maximum temperature record on October 31st.

Precipitation

October precipitation was above normal for virtually all of Illinois. The statewide total precipitation in October was 5.20 inches, approximately 2 inches more than the 30-year normal. Areas of far northern and southern Illinois received over 7 inches of rainfall in October. CoCoRaHS observers in New Lenox in Will County and Riverwoods in Lake County recorded over 12 inches of precipitation in October. Expressed as a percent of the long-term mean, areas of northeastern Illinois received more than 200 percent of mean October precipitation, and a broad swath of southern Illinois received over 150 percent of mean October precipitation (see maps below). Significant rainfall helped improve drought conditions in southern Illinois. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map – current as of October 29 – shows no drought in Illinois for the first time since early August.

The cool down that came at the end of this month brought a variety of precipitation, including snowfall and some snow accumulation in northern and western Illinois. Total snowfall accumulation over the last week of October ranged from over 8 inches in northwestern Illinois to just over a tenth of an inch as far south as Nokomis in Montgomery County. The highest October snowfall total, 8.5 inches, was in Orangeville in Stephenson County. Although late October is early for the first snowfall in Illinois, it is certainly precedented. The map below shows the date of the earliest recorded snowfall (> 0.1 inch) at COOP stations across the state.

Short- and Long-Term Outlooks

Short-term 8- to 14-day outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center show strongly elevated odds of below normal temperatures persisting into the first couple of weeks of November. Concurrently, probabilities are elevated for below normal precipitation out to 14 days, as drier weather is likely to prevail following the first winter storm of the season in Illinois.

Longer-term outlooks for November also show increased odds of below normal temperatures and increased odds of above below normal precipitation. Winter (December–February) outlooks show greater odds of a wetter than normal winter.