CHAMPAIGN, Ill., 9/14/23: Cooler weather in the past week has led to lower soil temperatures throughout the state in mid-September, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey.

Soil temperatures at 4 inches under sod averaged 70 degrees on September 13, equal to last year, and 2 degrees lower than the historical average. High temperatures reached the mid-70s at most locations with lows in the 60s.

A drier September so far for most of the state has caused soils to dry in some areas. On average, soil moisture statewide declined an average of 9 percent at 2-inch depths during the two weeks of September. Larger reductions were seen in western Illinois where moisture levels at 2 inches fell 32 percent to an average of 0.15 water fraction by volume (wfv).

In northern Illinois, moisture levels rose 38 percent as the region saw rain after a dry August. Changes were seen through the top 8 inches of soil. Levels at 20 inches and greater have remained relatively steady so far this month. 

The Illinois State Water Survey’s WARM program collects hourly and daily weather and soil information at 19 stations across the state. Daily and monthly summaries can be found at the WARM website (warm.isws.illinois.edu/warm).

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Media contact: Jennie Atkins, Ph.D., (217) 333-4966, jatkins@illinois.edu