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Soil temperatures declined during the first two weeks of
October, but remained above normal. Statewide temperatures at
depths of 4 inches under bare soil declined 8 degrees during
that time period to an average of 57.7 degrees F on October 14.
Daily highs for that day rose into the 60s for most of the
state, while lows were in the 50s to mid-40s.
Temperatures under sod followed a similar trend with an average
of 60.4 degrees at 4 inches and 60.9 degrees at 8 inches on
October 14, 1.9 and 1.7 degrees above the long-term averages,
respectively.
Soil moisture declined in southern and east central Illinois
during the first half of the month. Moisture levels at depths of
2 inches declined by more than 20 percent in both regions during
the period. Soils were wetter in west central Illinois, however,
with an average increase of 28 percent. Overall, soil moisture
averaged 0.28 water fraction by volume (wfv) on October 14.
Similar trends were seen at 4- and 8-inch depths.
Soil moisture remained high at 39- and 59-inch depths with
averages near or above the field capacities.
The Illinois State Water Survey’s WARM Program collects hourly
and daily weather and soil information at 19 stations across the
state. Daily and monthly summaries can be found at the WARM
website (http://www.isws.illinois.edu/warm/) and in the Illinois
Water and Climate Summary (http://www.isws.illinois.edu/warm/climate.asp).
[Lisa Sheppard]
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.
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