Illinois State Water Survey Illinois State Climatologist

How Are Lake Michigan Water Levels?

Today I had a reporter ask if the recent rains and flooding in Illinois will benefit the low lake levels of Lake Michigan. It has helped. First of all, the Illinois part of the Lake Michigan basin is relatively small and extends only a few miles inland (see first figure below). As a result, most […]

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New Climate Prediction Center Outlooks

On February 20, the NWS Climate Prediction Center released their new outlooks for March and beyond. Below are the maps for March, spring (March to May), and summer (June to August). The overall theme for Illinois is an increased chance of above-average temperatures through August. We have an increased chance of above-average precipitation in the […]

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Record Low Pressure on Great Lakes Storm

According to the National Weather Service New record set today for the lowest pressure in a non-tropical storm in the mainland U.S. The massive storm system barreling across the central U.S. had a minimum central pressure of 28.24″ or 956 mb (equivalent to the minimum pressure of a Category 3 hurricane). This breaks the old […]

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Record Low Pressure on Great Lakes Storm

According to the National Weather Service New record set today for the lowest pressure in a non-tropical storm in the mainland U.S. The massive storm system barreling across the central U.S. had a minimum central pressure of 28.24″ or 956 mb (equivalent to the minimum pressure of a Category 3 hurricane). This breaks the old […]

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