Very little rain has fallen since the Drought Response Task Force meeting of September 7 (see Illinois Drought Update). In fact, the only widespread rain occurred during the later-half of Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. Most areas received less than one-half of an inch. However, heavier rainfall amounts were possible, according to radar estimates. Griggsville reported the heaviest amount in the state - 3.22 inches. The U.S. Drought Monitor has extended D3 or “extreme” drought conditions into northeast Illinois, including the Chicago area. The state-wide precipitation since March 2005 is now 16.25 inches compared to a normal of 24.27 inches (8 inches below normal or 67 percent of normal).

 

                                  Illinois

                         9/ 7/2005 to  9/14/2005

 

Climate          <------Temperature----->   <---------Precipitation--------->

Division         Actual   Normal      Dev   Actual   Normal     Dev   Percent

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Northwest          75.5     66.6      8.9     0.54     0.96    -0.42       56

Northeast          76.1     67.0      9.1     0.42     0.98    -0.55       43

West               77.4     69.1      8.2     1.12     0.99     0.13      113

Central            77.4     68.8      8.6     0.47     0.91    -0.44       52

East               76.2     68.4      7.8     0.46     0.93    -0.47       50

West-southwest     77.7     70.1      7.5     0.71     0.94    -0.23       76

East-southeast     76.5     70.5      6.0     0.18     0.97    -0.79       19

Southwest          76.3     71.4      4.9     0.37     0.89    -0.53       41

Southeast          75.9     71.8      4.1     0.09     0.83    -0.75       10

 

State              76.6     69.2      7.4     0.49     0.94    -0.45       52

 

Dev means Deviation From Normal, Percent means Percent of Normal

 

The latest maps and tables on the current conditions in Illinois can be found at:

http://www.sws.uiuc.edu/atmos/statecli/Current/current.htm