May cool and rainy

[June 15, 2017]    The statewide average temperature for May was 61.9 degrees, 0.8 degrees below normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel with the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois. A few locations in Illinois reached 90 degrees, including Moline and Springfield. In mid-May, several locations reported temperatures below freezing, including Mt. Carroll with 29 degrees.

The statewide average precipitation for May was 5.22 inches, 0.62 inches above normal. The precipitation was heaviest in the central third of the state with a few drier areas around Bloomington and south of the Quad Cities. Danville reported the most rain for the month in Illinois with 10.19 inches. Henning came in second with 9.98 inches of rain.

Widespread heavy rains were common in southern Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky as well.

The latest June outlook from the National Weather Service shows that the southern two-thirds of Illinois has an increased chance of being cooler than normal, and the southern half of Illinois has an increased chance of being wetter than normal.

[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.