October rainfall helps soil dryness
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[November 08, 2013]
CHAMPAIGN -- Precipitation was
near normal for the month of October in Illinois, at a statewide
average of 3.2 inches. The long-term average, or normal, for October
is 3.26 inches of precipitation, according to Jim Angel, state
climatologist, at the Illinois State Water Survey.
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Most of the precipitation fell in the last few days of the month.
The heaviest amounts were in Cook, Will and Kankakee counties, along
with some areas in far southern Illinois. The largest reported
monthly total was 6.79 inches at Bourbonnais. Many sites across
northern and central Illinois reported their first snow of the
season in October. The highest monthly snowfall total was at Mendota
with 3.5 inches. Several more sites reported 1 to 2.5 inches of snow
for the month.
Temperatures were just 0.3 degrees below normal with a statewide
value of 54.3 degrees. However, the first half of the month was 5.5
degrees above normal, while the second half was 5.9 degrees below
normal. Most of the state saw temperatures dropping below freezing
for the first time this fall on Oct. 21-22.
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"The late October rains were large enough and widespread enough to
help recharge soil moisture after the exceptional dryness of the
last three months," Angel said.
[Text from file received from
the 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. |