Illinois State Water Survey Illinois State Climatologist

January – Wild Temperature Swings and Dry

Summary: January in Illinois finished out at 26.7 degrees, 0.3 degrees above average. Both precipitation and snowfall were below average. The statewide average precipitation (rain plus water content of snow) was 0.85 inches, 1.22 inches below average. Snowfall was below average across most of the state. Temperature The temperatures in January in Illinois showed some […]

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Snowfall for November 20-22, 2015

The winter storm over the weekend left a narrow swath of significant snowfall across the central Midwest. The heaviest amounts of 5 or more inches (blue) extended from the High Plains through Iowa, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, northern Indiana, and Michigan. Here is a close-up of Illinois. The largest amounts are along the Illinois-Wisconsin border. […]

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A Weak El Nino Has Arrived, Another Winter Storm for Southern Illinois

Today the National Weather Service reported that the long-awaited El Niño has arrived in the Pacific Ocean. El Niño occurs when we have above-average temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator. It alters the Pacific weather pattern, which in turn alters our weather patterns over the US. The NWS forecasters say “it is likely […]

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Winter Finishes Cold and Snowy in Illinois

The statewide average temperature for the three winter months of December, January, and February in Illinois was 26.1 degrees, 7.5 degrees below average. While cold, it was not nearly as cold as last winter’s 21.7 degrees. This winter ranks as the 30th coldest on record. This winter started off mild with an average December temperature […]

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