blog navigation

Water Survey

blog posts

  • Corn growing in the field

    Soils are warmer than normal for Illinois in mid-July

    Jul 20, 2020 1:30 pm

    Warmer weather in early July has led to higher than normal soil temperatures in Illinois, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey.

  • Soils are still too warm for safe and effective fall fertilizer application

    Oct 7, 2021 3:30 pm

    Favorable weather has helped push Illinois’ fall harvest progress well ahead of normal. As a result, producers may be considering early application of fall fertilizer following harvest. University of Illinois experts caution that fall nitrogen fertilizer application on soils warmer than 50 degrees can result in loss of effectiveness and potential environmental issues. 

  • Soils are dry with warmer weather in May

    May 18, 2022 10:00 am

    Hotter weather in the first half of May has caused warmer, drier soils across Illinois.

  • Soils are drying out across Illinois in October

    Oct 16, 2020 1:45 pm

    Rainfall was lower than average throughout the state in the first half of October. According to the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, Illinois received 1.36 inches from Oct. 1 to 15, 1.08 inches below normal. Combined with a dry September for southern and parts of central Illinois, these conditions have caused soil moisture levels to fall to near the wilting points for most of the state.

  • Soils are drier for most of Illinois in mid-July

    Jul 16, 2021 10:15 am

    Illinois soils have been drying out after the wet weather at the end of June, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey.

  • Soils across most of Illinois are warmer than normal

    Jun 18, 2018 2:30 pm

  • Soils Across Illinois Damp at the End of September

    Sep 23, 2014 3:45 pm

    Soils are damp across the state at the end of September, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture Rises the Second Week of September

    Sep 17, 2015 2:30 pm

    Soil moisture levels rose across Illinois the second week of September as the state saw increased rainfall and cooler soil temperatures, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture Levels Slightly above Normal in the Middle of May

    May 15, 2013 2:30 am

     Soil moisture levels are slightly above normal in Illinois for the middle of May, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Prairie Research Institute, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture Levels Remain Slightly Above Normal

    Jun 17, 2013 2:30 am

    Soil moisture levels remained slightly above normal in the middle of June, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Prairie Research Institute, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture Levels Remain Lower Than Normal in Illinois

    Sep 17, 2013 1:00 am

    Soil moisture levels remained lower than normal, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Prairie Research Institute, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture Levels Near Normal for the Start of the Growing Season

    Apr 16, 2013 2:45 am

    Soil moisture levels are normal in Illinois for the start of the growing season, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey.

  • Soil Moisture Levels Increased in Southern Illinois with the Weekend Rains

    Aug 17, 2014 3:45 pm

    Soil moisture levels in southern Illinois increased over the weekend as the region saw more than 3 inches of rain at some locations, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture Levels Increased in Early May

    May 18, 2015 2:45 pm

    Soil moisture increased slightly throughout the state the first half of May, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Soil moisture levels high across Illinois

    Apr 16, 2014 4:00 pm

    Soil moisture levels in Illinois are high in the middle of April, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture Levels Decreasing from Last Week’s Highs

    Jun 16, 2014 3:00 pm

    Soil moisture levels are falling from the highs seen last week due to storms across the state, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture Levels Decline Slightly in Illinois

    Jul 15, 2013 2:15 am

    Soil moisture levels at depths of 2 inches declined an average of 15 percent from June, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Prairie Research Institute, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture Increases in Southern and Western Illinois

    Jul 18, 2016 7:30 pm

    Increased rainfall led to rises in soil moisture levels during the first half of July, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture Increased throughout Illinois Due to Recent Rains

    Aug 16, 2016 7:15 pm

    Recent rains increased soil moisture throughout the state, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Soil moisture improved in October in Illinois

    Oct 19, 2017 2:30 pm

    Soil moisture levels have improved throughout the state during the first half of October, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program manager at University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  • Soil Moisture High in Northern and East-Central Illinois

    Jul 16, 2014 3:00 pm

    Soils in northern and east-central Illinois are beginning to dry out after the rains of last weekend, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Soil moisture has improved in Illinois

    Jul 19, 2023 9:30 am

    Illinois has received 3.41 inches of rain in the first half of July, 1.6 inches more than in the entire month of June, and leading to higher soil moisture across the state. 

  • Soil Moisture Continues to Decline in Illinois

    Aug 19, 2013 1:00 am

    Soil moisture continued to decline across Illinois with levels at 2 inches 27 percent lower on August 15 than those from July 15, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Prairie Research Institute, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Soil Moisture and Temperatures Dictate Spring Planting Dates

    Apr 8, 2010 1:45 am

    Once springtime arrives, Illinois crop producers begin watching and waiting for optimal soil moisture and temperatures to kick off the 2010 planting season.  Soil moisture at the end of March was above average over much of Illinois, according to Bob Scott, meteorologist of the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  • Snowy, Wet February, 9th Coldest on Record

    Mar 5, 2007 8:30 pm

    "Old Man Winter weather arrived in full force across much of Illinois in February, the 9th coldest on record since 1895, with a statewide temperature of 21.9°F, 8.9°F below normal, based on preliminary data. Snowfall generally was 2–6 inches (southern Illinois), 6–25 inches (central Illinois), and 12–25 inches (northern Illinois). Heaviest amounts occurred in east-central Illinois, with Sidell (Champaign County) reporting 27.5 inches, the most for any Illinois station.

  • Sixth Wettest April on Record

    May 1, 2009 11:30 am

    April statewide rainfall averaged 6.2 inches, 2.4 inches above normal and tied with 1983 for the 6th wettest April since statewide records began in 1895. The wettest April on record was 7.1 inches in 1957. Normal statewide April rainfall is 3.8 inches, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.sws.uiuc.edu).

  • Sixth Warmest September in Illinois

    Oct 3, 2016 4:00 pm

    September was the sixth warmest on record with statewide records going back to 1895. The statewide average temperature was 70.7 degrees, 4.5 degrees above normal, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Sixth Warmest March on Record

    Apr 5, 2007 8:15 pm

    "After a cold February, the pendulum swung the other way, giving Illinois March temperatures averaging 47.6°F statewide, 6.5°F above normal and the 6th warmest March on record since 1895. Several cities, particularly Champaign-Urbana, set or tied daily high temperature records," says State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.sws.uiuc.edu), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

  • Short-Term Weather Lore Holds a Kernel of Truth

    Oct 25, 2010 12:00 am

    Before the Internet, The Weather Channel, and NOAA radios, our ancestors relied on nature to tell its tale of upcoming weather. Moss growing on the south side of trees and squirrels hiding their nuts deep underground were thought to foretell a severe winter ahead.

    Some natural prognostications like these are grounded in truth, given our current knowledge of meteorology, but others are purely fiction, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  • Seventh Warmest November on Record

    Dec 2, 2009 10:45 am

    Based on preliminary data in Illinois, the statewide average temperature for November was 46.9 degrees, 5.1 degrees above normal. This was the seventh warmest November on record for the state based on data going back to 1895, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • Seventh Coldest February on Record Wraps Up Winter in Illinois

    Mar 3, 2015 3:15 pm

    The statewide average temperature for February was 18.6 degrees, which is 12.3 degrees below the 1981-2010 average and the 7th coldest February on record. In comparison, February 2014 was the 9th coldest at 19.5 degrees, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Leaves turning colors

    September weather was slightly cooler and wetter than average in Illinois

    Oct 2, 2020 8:45 am

    The preliminary statewide average September temperature was 65.4 degrees, 0.8 degrees below the 30-year normal, and tied for the 45th coolest on record. Preliminary statewide average total precipitation for August was 3.39 inches, 0.16 inches more than the 30-year normal, and the 58th wettest on record.

  • September was dry and warm in Illinois

    Oct 2, 2017 2:15 pm

    The statewide average rainfall in September was 0.78 inches, 2.45 inches below normal and the 5th driest September on record, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey.

  • September was Dry and Warm in Illinois

    Oct 7, 2013 1:45 am

    Dry conditions were widespread across Illinois in September, and temperatures were above average for the first time in several months, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • September Was Cool and Wet for Illinois

    Oct 7, 2014 3:45 pm

    September was 1.5 degrees cooler than average and 0.88 inches wetter than average for Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • September, Warm and Dry across Illinois

    Oct 4, 2007 7:30 pm

    "A uniformly warm, dry September speeded fall harvest but further increased drought conditions in southern and central Illinois. Statewide rainfall was 1.71 inches, 1.48 inches below normal, and the 12th driest September since 1895. Temperatures in Illinois averaged 69.8 degrees, 3.6 degrees above normal, and the 15th warmest September on record," says State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.sws.uiuc.edu), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

  • September: The Ninth Warmest on Record for Illinois

    Oct 2, 2015 2:30 pm

    September 2015 was the ninth warmest September on record for Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois. The statewide average temperature was 70.2 degrees, 4 degrees above average.

  • September in Illinois had above-normal temperatures and rainfall

    Oct 1, 2018 3:45 pm

    The Illinois statewide average temperature for September was 70.0 degrees, 3.8 degrees above normal and the 12th warmest September on record, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois. 

  • September in Illinois: Cooler and Wetter than Normal

    Oct 3, 2012 7:30 pm

    September was the first cooler and wetter than normal month in 2012, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign

  • sun

    September heat, flooding, and drought

    Oct 1, 2019 2:15 pm

    September 2019 was tied for the fourth-warmest September for Illinois (state average temperatures back to 1895), and the warmest September since 1933. Precipitation varied tremendously from north to south across the state.

  • September Experienced Near Normal Temperatures

    Oct 7, 2010 12:00 am

    Illinois experienced temperatures close to normal for September. The statewide average temperature was 66.8 degrees, just 0.6 degrees above normal, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • September brought mild, dry conditions to Illinois

    Oct 3, 2022 3:00 pm

    Illinoisans experienced mild temperatures in the first half of September, followed by summer-like conditions and then a cooler week to finish off the month, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. The average state rainfall amount was slightly below normal.

  • September Brings Uneven Rainfall across State

    Oct 6, 2009 10:00 am

    Based on preliminary data in Illinois, the statewide average rainfall for September was 2.4 inches, 0.8 inches below normal. This breaks the string of months with above normal precipitation that started in February 2009 and ended in August, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • September: A Cool Month in Illinois

    Oct 7, 2011 9:15 pm

    The statewide average temperature in Illinois was 63.2 degrees, 3 degrees below average, and the 13th coolest September on record for the state.  The coolest September was in 1918 with 59.3 degrees, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey.

  • aerial view of Illinois River

    Sediment causes economic and environmental concerns in the Illinois River valley

    Mar 27, 2017 4:15 pm

    Researchers at the Prairie Research Institute's Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) have computed a sediment budget over 35 years to determine the amount of sediment coming into the river valley and the amount going out to the Mississippi River

  • Second Wettest Year on Record for Illinois

    Jan 9, 2009 8:15 pm

     Illinois experienced its second wettest year on record when 50.7 inches of precipitation fell in 2008. This was 11.4 inches above normal. Only 1993 was wetter with 51.2 inches. Nine of the 12 months in 2008 received above-normal precipitation, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • Second Wettest October on Record

    Nov 2, 2009 10:00 am

     Based on preliminary data in Illinois, the statewide average rainfall was 8.9 inches, 6.0 inches above normal. This is the second wettest October on record for the state based on data going back to 1895. It almost beat the wettest October on record, 9.2 inches set in 1941, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • Second Wettest June on Record for Illinois

    Jul 1, 2010 1:15 am

    Illinois has experienced the second wettest June on record, based on preliminary data. The statewide average precipitation for June was 7.8 inches, 3.7 inches above normal, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • Scientists to build toolkit addressing climate change and environmental justice in Chicago communities

    Aug 1, 2022 2:45 pm

    With new funding from NASA, a University of Illinois team of scientists will use NASA Earth science and localized social data to develop an innovative, multi-sector geospatial environmental justice toolkit for urban decision making in the Chicago region.

  • Scientists study regional benefits of limiting climate warming

    May 24, 2021 12:00 pm

    Limiting the global average temperature to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) above pre-industrial conditions compared with 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F), as predicted for the future, will avoid more intense and more frequent heavy precipitation and extreme heat waves, according to a recent study at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) that explored global warming’s effects on specific U.S. regions.