Worst IL Drought Conditions In Decade; Little Chance For Weekend Rain

ILLINOIS — Illinois is experiencing the biggest drought in years, but it doesn’t appear there is any rain relief on the way — at least not this weekend or in the days to immediately follow.

The dry weather is good news for anyone hosting a graduation or barbecue this weekend, but rain is much needed. The drought conditions are the worst in Illinois in a decade, WCIA reported.

"This year’s drought has mostly come from very to extremely dry conditions since mid-April, which have been the worst in the Chicagoland area, central/east central Illinois, and parts of western Illinois," Illinois State Climatologist Dr. Trent Ford told the outlet. The period between April 1 and June 10 is the driest the state has seen since 1988, according to WCIA.

The National Weather Service says there is only a “small chance” of a brief rain shower or storm Sunday night into Monday morning. But forecasters are calling for sunny skies and warmer temperatures beginning on Sunday, when temperatures are expected to reach the 80s for Father’s Day.

The forecast for temperatures to possibly reach into the 80s on Saturday, when sunny skies are expected to emerge after a series of cloudy days around the greater Chicago area. Temperatures could reach 90 by Tuesday, the National Weather Service said, but the chances of rain remain slim, except for the small chance of precipitation Sunday night into Monday.

According to AccuWeather, there is only an 11 percent chance of rain overnight Sunday into Monday, before there is a 55 percent chance of storms on June 25.

Weather officials across Illinois said that while perhaps the worst drought conditions are being found in Central Illinois, the entire store is going through “some level of drought” at the present time.

Jennie Atkins, the program manager for Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring, told ABC20 in Champaign that the biggest effect of the lack of rain is being felt by downstate farmers.

According to a map released by the National Drought Migration Center in Nebraska, much of Illinois remains under moderate to severe drought conditions. Atkins told the Champaign television center that farmers are finding dry soil conditions that are making their growing season difficult.

“First thing, you know, a quarter of an inch, half an inch a week, that's not going to be enough to sustain us. Mainly during this time of year, we're seeing about an inch, inch and a half a week,” Atkins told ABC 20. “So we're going to need more than that, to bring this back up.”