Drought has left the building, at least as far as Illinois is concerned, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. In a earlier post, I outlined recent conditions in Illinois that pointed towards recovery from this summer’s flash drought.
While conditions have improved steadily, some areas may still be experiencing the impacts of drought. One area in particular is the recovery of Lake Decatur. In addition, some of the smaller rivers and streams in central Illinois are below average for this time of year.
Dry October in Illinois
Precipitation
The statewide average precipitation for October in Illinois was 1.79 inches, 1.12 inches below average or 61 percent of average. That makes it the 21st driest October on record back to 1895. See map below.
Amounts of less than an inch were common in western Illinois. The driest spot for October in Illinois was Colchester (near Macomb) with 0.22 inches for the month. The wettest spot in Illinois was Lansing (south Chicago) with 5.22 inches.
Moderate to severe drought remains in western Illinois, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The National Weather Service has predicted above-average precipitation for November across Illinois. Combined with cooler temperatures, this should lead to improvements in that area of the state.
Temperature
The statewide average temperature for October in Illinois was 55.1 degrees, just 0.5 degrees above average. The highest temperature for October in Illinois was 92 degrees at Bentley on October 8. The lowest temperature was 23 degrees at Mt. Carroll on October 29. Most of Illinois experienced temperatures at or below freezing by the end of the month.
Snowfall
No measurable snow reported yet. I’m sure that will change in November.
Drought Eases In Illinois
The U.S. Drought Monitor has reduced the area in drought for Illinois (first map below). Generous rainfall in recent weeks (second map) along the northern and southern borders of the drought led to the reductions. It also helps that cooler temperatures and maturing field crops have reduced the demand on soil moisture.
Soil moisture measurements from a network of sites operated by the Illinois State Water Survey confirmed that soil moisture was recovering by September 28. The table below list the soil moisture at 2, 4, and 8 inches and are a percentage of the water by volume. For example, “24” at 2 inches in Belleville means that the water content of the soil at that point is 24 percent. For most soils in Illinois, values of 30 percent or more mean plenty of soil moisture, values in the 20 percent range are a little dry, and values in the 10 percent range are very dry. The very low values at Kilbourne are typical of the very sandy soil there. They tend to drain very quickly and are only high right after a significant rainfall events.
Location 2 in 4 in 8 in Belleville 24 28 27 Big Bend 24 29 23 Bondville 17 17 33 Brownstown 24 22 23 Champaign 21 31 32 Carbondale 28 34 32 DeKalb 38 37 38 Dixon Springs 33 36 38 Fairfield 37 34 35 Freeport 36 37 42 Kilbourne 3 4 3 Monmouth 24 30 24 Olney 26 30 32 Peoria 32 35 35 Perry 17 15 18 Springfield 25 23 14 Stelle 32 34 29 St. Charles 33 38 39 Rend Lake 26 39 40
2011: A Year of Extremes
I think we will remember 2011 as a year of extreme events. In Illinois we have already faced a February blizzard, flooding, record rainfalls, drought, and a heat wave. The latest newsletter of the NOAA’s Regional Climate Centers Program has highlighted several major events from around the country, including:
- wildfires
- tornadoes
- spring flooding in the Midwest
- record flooding in the Missouri River Basin
- drought
- snow
Check it out. I don’t know about anyone else but I’m ready for a quiet fall.
BTW, the Midwestern Regional Climate Center is housed at the Illinois State Water Survey.