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  • Winter Finally Arrives in Illinois in February

    Mar 1, 2013 2:45 am

    Snowfall was below average in January, but the statewide precipitation—which includes both rain and melted snow—was 3.9 inches, nearly 2 inches above average, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

  • February in Illinois was Slightly Warmer than Normal

    Mar 1, 2016 10:30 pm

    The Illinois temperature for February was 33.2 degrees, 2.3 degrees above average, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • snow falling on person under umbrella

    Stormy, wet, and chilly February for Illinois

    Mar 1, 2019 2:00 pm

    February was particularly cold and stormy in Illinois, with an almost constant succession of storms resulting in moderate snow accumulations for the northern counties and persistent rain events and widespread flooding for the far southern counties.

  • snowdrop flowers in snowing earth

    State Climatologist reports that a typical February ends an otherwise atypical winter

    Mar 2, 2020 4:45 pm

    February was slightly warmer and wetter than average across Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford.

  • February: More Rain, Less Snow

    Mar 3, 2009 8:00 pm

    February statewide precipitation averaged 2.45 inches, 0.52 inches above normal. Ft. Massac State Park reported the highest monthly precipitation total of 6.03 inches, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey 

  • Cold February Wraps Up Cold Winter

    Mar 3, 2010 1:45 am

    Based on preliminary data in Illinois, the statewide average temperature for February was 25.1 degrees, 5.1 degrees below normal. Snowfall for February was above normal. Amounts ranged from 6 inches in southern Illinois to over 18 inches in the Quad Cities and Chicago areas, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey 

  • Native American city on the Mississippi was America's first 'melting pot'

    Mar 3, 2014 9:00 am

  • 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.

  • February breaks record for warm temperatures in Illinois

    Mar 3, 2017 4:30 pm

    February was the warmest February on record for Illinois, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel at University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  • An active February finishes climatological winter

    Mar 3, 2022 9:15 am

    The preliminary statewide average February temperature was 27.2 degrees, 3.0 degrees below the 1991–2020 average and tied for 42nd coldest on record going back to 1895. The preliminary statewide average total February precipitation was 3.41 inches, 1.48 inches above the 1991–2020 average and the 9th wettest on record statewide.  

  • This Winter was the 4th Coldest on Record in Illinois

    Mar 4, 2014 4:15 pm

    The average statewide temperature for the three core winter months of December, January, and February was 20.8 degrees. It was 8.2 degrees below average and the fourth coldest December-February period on record, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Tenth Wettest February on Record for Illinois

    Mar 7, 2011 12:30 am

    The statewide average precipitation in Illinois for February was 3.39 inches, 1.46 inches above normal. This ranks as the tenth wettest February since statewide records began in 1895, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • Soils Remain Below Freezing at the Beginning of March

    Mar 7, 2014 4:45 pm

    Soil temperatures remained below freezing across most of Illinois during the first five days of March, Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Prairie Research Institute, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Success of new bug-fighting approach may vary from field to field

    Mar 10, 2014 9:00 am

  • Variation in effectiveness of RNAi treatment in western corn rootworm

    Mar 11, 2014 8:00 am

    INHS Behavioral Entomologist Joseph Spencer and his colleagues in Crop Sciences and Entomology recently released a study in the journal Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology with findings that there is variation in the effectiveness of RNAi treatments on western corn rootworm (WCR), a major agricultural pest.

  • Where is Spring?

    Mar 14, 2009 11:30 am

    A cold and wet first half of April has farmers still waiting to get into the fields and homeowners waiting to get into their gardens. Temperatures in the first two weeks of April were 4.5 degrees below normal and precipitation was 58 percent above normal. Many places in northern Illinois reported measureable snowfall from an April 5-6 storm, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.sws.uiuc.edu).

  • Thinking ahead: Corn rootworm management for 2018

    Mar 14, 2018 8:30 am

    Illinois corn growers in the northern and central parts of the state have come to expect some rootworm damage, but University of Illinois entomologists say putting management plans in place now could help growers avoid major losses.

  • Early Warm Weather brings early insects

    Mar 16, 2012 8:00 am

    INHS Behavioral Entomologist Joe Spencer told WBEZ that the early warm weather means bugs can mature faster, allowing them to emerge much sooner than they are normally expected to, but this does not necessarily mean there will be more of them.

  • "Periodic table for flies" mapped

    Mar 17, 2011 10:00 pm

    The Fly Tree of Life project has mapped the 260-million-year evolution of the order Diptera. The 152,000 named species of flies are ecologically important as disease vectors, pollinators, and decomposers and this groundbreaking project will facilitate future research into the convergent evolution of traits such as blood feeding and wing-loss. Read the study's abstract here.

  • Soil Temperatures Increased in Illinois in the First Half of March

    Mar 17, 2015 3:15 pm

    Soil temperatures at 4 inches under bare soil have increased 49 percent during the first half of March, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Illinois Soils Warm Over the First Half of March

    Mar 18, 2016 10:30 pm

    Soil temperatures increased through the first half of March, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Preserving nature through art

    Mar 19, 2010 2:00 pm

    Smile Politely has an excellent article discussing the visiting art exhibit, "Nature Sketches by Gladys and Ruth Dudley", currently on display at the Forbes Natural History Building. In the article, INHS biological control specialist Sue Post discusses what makes the sketches in the collection so fascinating. The exhibit will be on display through the spring. No special arrangements or fees are needed to view the sketches, which on on display in the first-floor North West hallway.

  • Learning by listening to the people who live it

    Mar 19, 2024 8:30 am

  • Entomologists stifled by Indian bureaucracy

    Mar 20, 2008 12:00 am

    An international collaboration to study insects in the Western Ghats mountains in southern India is stalled due to a hold up by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA). INHS' Paul Tinerella and Michael Irwin are involved in trying to keep the project moving along. View the complete Nature article

  • Long-term fish monitoring in large rivers

    Mar 22, 2017 8:00 am

    INHS scientists examined five long-term fish monitoring programs in large rivers in the U.S. They outline best practices in Fisheries Magazine.

  • Awareness of Flood Risk Lessens Losses

    Mar 24, 2012 8:00 pm

    Damages as a result of flooding happen unnecessarily every year in the U.S. and in the U.K., much to the shock of many home and business owners who suffer losses in floodplain areas.  It is vital to raise public awareness for citizens who are at risk for flood losses and must understand how much risk they face and how to mitigate the hazard, according to speakers at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) and University of Leeds workshop in Champaign on April 17.

  • Illinois has Four Odd Tornado Seasons in a Row

    Mar 25, 2015 3:00 pm

    The 2015 tornado season thus far in Illinois and the rest of tornado alley is incredibly quiet. However, this quiet start is no reason to relax if the past few years are a guide, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Illinois Birds: A Century of Change receives more attention

    Mar 28, 2011 8:00 am

    Co-author Mike Ward was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune about the recently published "Illinois Birds: A Century of Change." Mike Ward said that the results of the most recent studies were somewhat encouraging. "There's definitely reason to be concerned for certain species of birds, but I don't think we're at the worst point in the last 100 years. I think the worst point was definitely somewhere between the 1950s and now, when our waters were really contaminated and there was a wider use of nasty pesticides. There's reason for concern today, but on the flip side there are definitely triumphs."

  • Program gathers data to combat tickborne disease in Illinois

    Mar 29, 2018 11:30 am

  • March was Cold and Dry in Illinois

    Apr 1, 2014 4:15 pm

    The statewide average temperature for March in Illinois was 33.8 degrees, which was 7 degrees below average and the 8th coldest March on record. Combined with the colder-than-average January and February made this the 4th coldest start (23.6 degrees) for Illinois for the year to date, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • rain

    March 2019: A cold start with a stormy, wet finish to the month

    Apr 1, 2019 2:30 pm

    March 2019 will be a month remembered for an unseasonably cold start, followed by an active and wet weather pattern which resulted in a continuation of excess soil moisture, and major flooding events on many local streams and rivers.

  • Cold, Snowy March for Illinois

    Apr 2, 2015 3:00 pm

    The statewide average temperature for March was 38.2 degrees, 3.1 degrees below average, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • broken umbrella in muddy field

    March was warmer with above average precipitation in Illinois

    Apr 2, 2020 9:15 am

    March was warmer and wetter than average across the state, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford.

  • Mild March was quite a contrast to February

    Apr 2, 2021 8:30 am

    The preliminary statewide average March temperature was 45.9 degrees, 4.5 degrees above the 1991–2020 average and the 13th warmest on record going back to 1895. Preliminary statewide average total March precipitation was 4.10 inches, 1.16 inches above the 1991–2020 average and the 30th wettest on record going back to 1895.  

  • Hail stones on the ground. Photo by Andres Siimon on Unsplash.

    Warm and dynamic March opens spring

    Apr 2, 2024 9:15 am

    March’s warmer than average temperatures are expected to continue into April, which could lead off a warm and wet spring all the way into June, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  • March 2013 Was Much Colder Than Last Year

    Apr 3, 2013 2:45 am

    This March was 21.2 degrees colder than the average statewide temperature in March of last year, according to Jim Angel, State Climatologist at the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  • PRI petroleum geologist receives campus honor

    Apr 3, 2014 1:45 pm

  • A Snowy, Rainy March in Illinois

    Apr 3, 2017 4:15 pm

    Statewide precipitation averaged 3.62 inches, 0.66 inches above normal. The highest monthly total precipitation was in Lockport with 7.22 inches, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  • March started the spring season with rain and storms

    Apr 4, 2023 9:30 am

    In his blog, State Climatologist Trent Ford describes the March weather conditions in 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.

  • No Surprises for March: Near Average Temperatures

    Apr 5, 2011 12:15 am

    The statewide average temperature for Illinois in March was 41.0 degrees, just 0.1 degrees below the 1971–2000 average, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • INHS scientists seek new sites for mussel relocation

    Apr 5, 2013 8:00 am

    INHS researcher Jeremy Tiemann is part of a team working to relocate endangered mussels from a bridge construction site in Pennsylvania to Illinois rivers. The first mussels (relocated in 2010) were given PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tags to allow monitoring and after a year and a half, approximately 80% of the relocated mussels had survived. An additional 1200 were transplanted in 2012, and now, new locations are being sought for additional transplants.

  • March Was Warmer and Drier than Normal

    Apr 6, 2010 1:45 am

    Based on preliminary data in Illinois, the statewide average temperature for March was 43.6 degrees, 2.5 degrees above normal. This ends a three-month streak of colder than normal temperatures that occurred this winter, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • Soil Temperatures Important for Spring Field Work

    Apr 7, 2011 12:15 am

    With the arrival of spring, Illinois farmers are monitoring soil temperatures for decisions in the field. Soil temperatures across the state have been on the rise, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  • Dinosaurs may have had lice

    Apr 7, 2011 6:00 pm

    A recent article in Biology Letters, authored by INHS Ornithologist Kevin Johnson and his colleagues Vincent Smith, Tom Ford, Paul Johnson, Kazunori Yoshizawa, and Jessica Light, reveals that the ancestors of the lice found on modern day birds and mammals began to diversify prior to the mass extinction of the dinosaurs at the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary, 65 million years ago.

  • Mosquito larvae exposed to stress may be better able to transmit viruses

    Apr 7, 2011 8:00 am

    In a recently published article in Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, INHS Medical Entomologists Ephantus J. Muturi and Barry Alto revealed that exposing mosquito larvae to temperature and insecticide stress may actually increase their ability to transmit viruses. At 30°C but not at 20°C, Ae. aegypti larvae exposed to insecticide were more likely to transmit the virus compared to control treatments. These findings suggest that environmental factors experienced by aquatic stages of mosquitoes contribute to the risk of arbovirus transmission.

  • Tri-Point students work and learn with INHS herpetologists

    Apr 10, 2012 12:00 pm

    A group of students from Tri-Point Jr. High visited the herpetology collection at INHS and conducted field work with Herpetologist Andy Kuhns. The students were able to help with surveys for amphibians and reptiles at Ballard Nature Center. In addition to finding several species of reptiles and amphibians, the students learned about their habitats, biology and conservation.

  • Kristovich to speak May 15 on Great Lakes Climate Changes and Impacts on Water Resources

    Apr 13, 2018 8:15 am

    David A.R. Kristovich, head of the Water Survey's Climate and Atmospheric Science Section, will speak at a meeting of the Air & Waste Management Association Lake Michigan States Section on May 15. 

  • 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 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.