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The preliminary average statewide precipitation
was 4.21 inches, which is 0.61 inches below the long-term August
average.
Preliminary data suggest that August was drier than average
across much of the state north of I-72 and south of I-64, in
some cases with up to 4 inches below normal precipitation, while
much wetter than average conditions prevailed between the two
interstates.
Areas in the south-central part of the state, particularly in
the western extent of the St. Louis metro east, received
precipitation totals in August between 5 and 8 inches above
normal, with a station near Patoka in Marion County reporting
the highest monthly rainfall total of 14.19 inches.
The driest area in August covered parts of Ford, Iroquois, and
Vermilion counties in east-central Illinois, where precipitation
totals were less than 50 percent of their August normal.
The U.S. Drought Monitor identified moderate drought in
northwest and east-central Illinois in their August 13 map. The
signs of drought in August were the first in the state since
September 2018, which represents 48 weeks, or the largest number
of consecutive, drought-free weeks since the U.S. Drought
Monitor began 20 years ago.
The combination of late planting, due to flooding, and
multi-week drought has stressed crops and farmers across central
Illinois. Reports from the Illinois Farm Bureau CropWatchers
discussed corn dropping ears and beans dropping leaves in parts
of Champaign County.
Much of the state experienced near normal to slightly below
normal temperatures in August. The preliminary average statewide
August temperature was 72.8 degrees, which is 0.7 degrees below
the long-term average.
A strong cold front in the early part of the month and in the
last week of the month resulted in cooler conditions, with
minimum temperatures ranging from the high 40s to high 50s
across the state. This was particularly the case for the
northwest quadrant of Illinois.
However, the entire state experienced August temperatures within
2 degrees of the long-term August normal. August average
temperatures ranged from 79 degrees in Pulaski County to 68
degrees in Jo Davies County. The lowest minimum temperature
reported in Illinois in August was 48 degrees in DeKalb County,
and the highest maximum temperature reported in Illinois was 98
degrees in Pulaski County.
Looking into September, the monthly outlook from the Climate
Prediction Center (CPC) issued on August 31 shows slightly
elevated probabilities of below normal temperatures across the
northern half of the state, with equal chances of above normal,
normal, and below normal temperatures in the southern half.
September precipitation probabilities slightly favor above
normal precipitation in the northwest corner of the state, but
with equal chances for the rest of Illinois.
[Lisa Sheppard]
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