A wet May, spring and year to date for Illinois
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[June 07, 2013]
CHAMPAIGN -- The statewide
precipitation for May was 6.87 inches, 2.25 inches above the
long-term average and the 12th-wettest May on record, according to
Jim Angel, Illinois state climatologist at the Prairie Research
Institute, University of Illinois.
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The wettest May on record was 1943 with 8.87 inches. In comparison,
May 2012 was much drier, with 2.50 inches for the entire month.
The monthly precipitation totals in western Illinois are impressive.
The heaviest amounts were in the area bounded by St. Louis in the
south, Springfield to the east and Galesburg to the north.
Radar-estimated precipitation amounts in that area were as high as
12 to 15 inches. The largest monthly total at a single site so far
was at Prairie City, in McDonough County, with 14.12 inches.
On the other end of the scale, somewhat drier conditions
prevailed in parts of Illinois north of Interstate 80. Amounts of 3
to 5 inches were common across the region. One of the lowest monthly
totals was at Freeport, in Stephenson County, with 3.19 inches.
Statewide precipitation for March to May, the traditional spring
months, was 16.71 inches, 5.31 inches above the long-term average
and the fifth-wettest spring on record. The wettest spring on record
was 1927 with 18.59 inches. Spring 2012 was much drier, with only
7.79 inches of precipitation.
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The statewide precipitation for January to May, the year to date,
was 23.55 inches, 7.93 inches above the long-term average and the
wettest January-May on record. In 2012, the January-May
precipitation was only 10.87 inches and the 12th-driest on record.
The statewide average temperature for May was 63.6 degrees, just
1.1 degrees above average.
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The Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, a division of the Prairie Research Institute, is
the primary agency in Illinois concerned with water and atmospheric
resources.
[Text from file received from
the Illinois
State Water Survey] |