A wet May, spring and year to date for Illinois

[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.

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.

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]