January was cool and dry in Illinois

[February 04, 2015]  CHAMPAIGN - January 2015 in Illinois was slightly cooler and drier than average. The statewide temperature was 25.4 degrees, 1 degree below average and the 53rd coldest on record, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

This January was not nearly as cold as last January when the average temperature was 19.3 degrees and ranked as the 16th coldest on record.

The statewide average precipitation for January 2015 was 1.53 inches, 0.5 inches below average. Because of dry weather in November, December, and January, the U.S. Drought Monitor listed northern and western Illinois as abnormally dry.

“This is not a great concern yet because of the low demand for water in winter, but we are watching the situation,” Angel said.

Snowfall ranged from less than 1 inch in the far south to 10 to 15 inches north of Interstate 80. That results in above-average snowfall in the northern half of the state and below-average for the southern half. However, this was far less snow than January 2014 when most of the state was covered with 10 to 25 inches of snow.

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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.