2021 Illinois Climate Assessment
A major scientific assessment by The Nature Conservancy, in collaboration with experts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northwestern University, was published in spring 2021. The report assesses both long-term historical change and projected changes into the future, and foretells long-term, serious effects of climate change on cities and rural communities alike. This includes increases in extreme heat and intense precipitation. Additionally, the report assesses the implications these changes have for agriculture, water resources, public health, and ecosystems in Illinois now and into the future.
The full report is available online here.
On May 17, 2021, the assessment lead authors summarized the report findings in a public webinar. Below is a recording of the webinar.
2018 National Climate Assessment
As a result of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, the U.S. Global Change Research Program delivers a report to Congress and the President no less than every four years that, among many other things, analyzes current trends in global change and projects major trends from the next 25 to 100 years. The most recent of these reports, the Fourth National Climate Assessment, was completed in 2018. The full report can be viewed and downloaded here.
The Midwest chapter of the Fourth National Climate Assessment was led by Illinois State Climatologist emeritus Dr. Jim Angel, and assesses historical and projected changes in Midwest climate. The Midwest chapter is available to view and download here.