September Was Cool and Wet for Illinois

[October 18, 2014]  CHAMPAIGN - September was 1.5 degrees cooler than average and 0.88 inches wetter than average for Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

The average statewide temperature was 64.4 degrees.

The statewide average precipitation for September in Illinois was 4.12 inches. The heaviest rains fell across western and central Illinois with amounts of 6 to 9 inches. A second area of heavy rains occurred south of Interstate 70 near Effingham. The largest monthly total reported was Beardstown with 10.72 inches. Only far southern and far northern Illinois received less than average precipitation for September.

The statewide average temperature for January–September was 52.3 degrees, 3.3 degrees below average and the 6th coolest January–September on record.

The statewide average precipitation for January–September was 32.91 inches, 2.5 inches above average and the 31st wettest January–September on record.

The cool, wet weather continued into early October, especially in central and western Illinois, which received 2 to 6 inches of rain by the morning of Oct. 7.

[Lisa Sheppard, Illinois State Water Survey]

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.