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Water Survey

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  • Illinois April temperatures were a roller coaster of highs and lows

    May 2, 2023 10:15 am

    April gave Illinoisans a taste of summer in the first half of the month, only to revert to winter-like conditions in the last week of the month. Overall, average temperatures were slightly above normal in April and precipitation was nearly 1.5 inches below normal with a record-setting dry week, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Illinois State Water Survey.

  • Dr. Misganaw Demissie

    Remembering Dr. Misganaw "Mike" Demissie 1949 - 2023

    May 1, 2023 12:15 pm

    The PRI family recently lost one of our own, Dr. Misganaw (known to many as Mike) Demissie, who made a positive difference worldwide through his work and made a lasting impression on the legacy of the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS). Demissie passed away on April 20, 2023.

  • Illinois soil temperatures are cooler than normal in mid-April

    Apr 20, 2023 2:00 pm

    Cooler weather in mid-April has caused Illinois soil temperatures to fall.

  • Laura Keefer

    Laura Keefer named Deputy Director of the Water Survey

    Apr 19, 2023 12:00 pm

    Keefer has more than 37 years of experience in multi-scale watershed monitoring and assessments of hydrology, nutrients and sediment for many Illinois watersheds, as well as studying erosion and sedimentation processes related to stream channel stability issues. In addition to her role as Deputy Director, Keefer serves as the Illinois State Hydrologist, providing science-based information on watersheds, rivers, groundwater, and other state water resources and leverages the expertise of PRI staff on statewide water issues, such as flooding and contamination. Laura has represented the Water Survey as an advisor on dozens of committees ranging from watershed planning to state and federal interagency task forces to resolve hydrologic, sediment, and nutrient watershed issues. 

  • Online tool estimates nitrogen availability for crop fields

    Apr 6, 2023 1:30 pm

    An atmospheric scientist at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) is perfecting his online and Android app decision-support tool that helps farmers schedule applications based on real-time nitrogen availability in local soils.

  • 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.

  • CoCoRaHS logo

    Backyard weather observers contribute to science

    Mar 29, 2023 10:45 am

    Whether you enjoy watching the weather or hope for more accurate local forecasts, reading a rain gauge in your own backyard as a volunteer to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow (CoCoRaHS) network can make a big contribution to spot-on forecasts and studies of precipitation and climate, according to Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS).

  • Illinois’ mild winter might benefit insect pests this spring

    Mar 9, 2023 2:45 pm

    Above normal air temperatures this winter kept Illinois average soil temperatures higher than usual. These mild conditions are favorable for insect pests that overwinter in Illinois, but many other factors will affect insect populations for the upcoming growing season, according to scientists at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI), a part of the University of Illinois.

  • Mild February wraps up a weak winter

    Mar 2, 2023 4:45 pm

    February in Illinois was particularly mild, ending a winter season that was 2 to 6 degrees above normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. February also brought wetter weather to the state.

  • Warmer January temperatures nearly broke records

    Feb 1, 2023 5:00 pm

    Illinois temperatures were above normal in January, preliminarily ranking the month as the sixth warmest on record, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  • Water Survey to analyze flood risks in eight east-central and southeastern Illinois counties

    Jan 27, 2023 11:45 am

    Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) crews are starting to collect data within the Embarras River watershed as part of a multiple-phase hydrologic and hydraulic study to help local communities identify areas of high flood risk for flood mitigation planning. Results from the new study will be used to update the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), which typically depict the 1 percent and 0.2 percent annual-chance floodplains.

  • PRI water and climate experts take part in new State Water Plan and its goals

    Jan 23, 2023 3:00 pm

    Scientists at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) have contributed their expertise and data on multiple water issues to inform the newly released 2022 Illinois State Water Plan, which serves as an advisory to address water-related challenges for the next seven years. PRI will also play an integral part in reaching the plan’s goals, particularly in developing an Illinois Integrated Water Information Center, a portal to water science information and technology in Illinois.

  • State Climatologist describes December's cold snap and warm up

    Jan 3, 2023 8:15 am

    The extreme temperatures and wind chill values that Illinoisans experienced before the holidays are very unusual for late December, only occurring in northern and central Illinois once every 20 to 25 years. In the last week of the month, high temperatures ranged from the low 50s to mid-60s, between 10 and 25 degrees above normal.

  • Big temperature swings in November, wrapping up an otherwise mild fall

    Dec 8, 2022 2:15 pm

    Temperature swings in November were extreme in Illinois with slightly cooler than normal temperatures overall, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. Meanwhile, most of the state had drier than normal conditions, which extended the dry streak in summer and fall. Near to above normal snowfall fell across the state.

     

  • Water Survey to analyze flood risks in McHenry County, Illinois

    Nov 30, 2022 6:15 pm

    Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) hydrologic and hydraulic modeling in McHenry County, Illinois, is underway as part of a study to help local communities identify areas of high flood risk for flood mitigation planning.

  • October brought real fall to Illinois this year

    Nov 1, 2022 3:00 pm

    October in 2021 was warm and rainy, putting a damper on fall festivities in Illinois, but this year’s October did not disappoint fall lovers, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. Temperatures and precipitation were below average.

  • Water Survey receives grant to sample wells in disadvantaged areas of Chicago

    Oct 26, 2022 9:00 am

    Evan Rea, head of the Health and Environmental Applications Laboratory (HEAL) at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.), was recently awarded a grant by the U. of I. Chancellor’s Office to sample private wells in the Chicago metro area. The Chancellor’s Call to Action to Address Racism & Social Injustice Research Program provides $2 million annually to U. of I. researchers to support projects that address systematic racism and social justice, law enforcement and criminal justice reform, and disparities in health and health care.

  • 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.

  • Illinois soil temperatures are cool in mid-September

    Sep 16, 2022 9:45 am

    Soil temperatures fell during the first two weeks of September as cooler weather moved into the state. 

  • State Climatologist: A mild August wraps up summer in Illinois

    Sep 1, 2022 4:15 pm

    Mild temperatures in August this year in Illinois followed a heatwave in May, above average temperatures in June, and a cooler July.

  • Illinois soils are cooler in mid-August

    Aug 16, 2022 4:00 pm

    Cooler weather has led to lower soil temperatures in the first half of August in Illinois, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey.

  • Eric R. Larson and Sally McConkey standing in the U. of I.’s Red Oak Rain Garden. Photo by Fred Zwicky

    How do we measure community disaster resilience?

    Aug 12, 2022 8:15 am

    In a new study, retired Illinois State Water Survey engineer Sally McConkey and Eric R. Larson, a professor of natural resources and environmental sciences, examined the metrics used at a county scale for national assessments to determine whether communities are prepared to withstand and recover from natural disasters such as floods and fires. 

  • State Climatologist: July brought its typical calamity in Illinois

    Aug 1, 2022 4:00 pm

    Rain inundated the south-central and northern parts of Illinois in July, causing flooding, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  • 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.

  • Leaves turn at Volo Bog Nature Preserve in the fall. Photo credit: Bill Batalden

    Groundwater experts help industries and nature preserves thrive

    Jul 7, 2022 8:00 am

    ISGS and ISWS began monitoring the intersections between industry and the state-protected nature preserves in 1998, letting science and groundwater testing lead the way. Then-graduate student Randy Locke embarked on what was intended to be a two-year groundwater monitoring project; that project is now in its 24th year and has expanded to 414 dedicated nature preserves across 62,270 acres in Illinois.

  • Illinois’ June weather was hotter and drier than average

    Jul 5, 2022 9:45 am

    June temperatures in Illinois were above normal with a prolonged heat wave mid-month, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. The rainfall was below normal for June.

  • June soils are hot and dry across Illinois

    Jun 21, 2022 9:30 am

    Illinois’ soils are warm and dry in mid-June after record-breaking hot weather blanketed the state.

  • Complex Hydraulic Flow Patterns of Cache River

    Data from the sky inform flood planning

    Jun 21, 2022 8:00 am

    CHAMP is at the helm of one of the largest 2D models in Illinois, spanning five southern Illinois counties – Johnson, Pope, Massac, Pulaski, and Alexander. The extremely flat topography of this region, known as the Cache River Valley, follows the Cache River system and the historic path of the Ohio River that’s been heavily manipulated by humans over time.

  • water pipe

    ISWS-Waterly partnership digitizes groundwater data

    Jun 15, 2022 2:00 pm

    Leveraging Waterly software will allow the ISWS groundwater science team to acquire almost real-time water pumping data that will amplify the team’s ability to forecast aquifer changes and gain a better understanding of current and future water risks across Illinois.

  • May brought spring and a taste of summer to Illinois

    Jun 2, 2022 11:00 am

    Illinois temperatures in May varied from periods of below average to periods of far above average, breaking records across the state, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. Rainfall was slightly below normal in May statewide.

  • 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.

  • Bondville weather station

    Bondville weather station has a long history of research partnerships

    May 3, 2022 1:15 pm

    Like clockwork, monitoring towers and scientific gadgets run continuously at the Bondville Environmental and Atmospheric Research Site (BEARS) in central Illinois, gathering data on current weather, climate, and atmospheric conditions. The facility caters mainly to government agencies and university researchers, offering services that few other weather stations provide.

  • April conditions in Illinois featured colder weather and frequent rainfall

    May 3, 2022 8:30 am

    April was colder than normal in Illinois, with freezing temperatures occurring into mid-month and as far south as St. Louis Metro East, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. Rainfall in April was frequent but averaged near normal statewide for the month.

  • Water Survey to analyze flood risks in Rock Island County, Illinois

    Apr 27, 2022 2:15 pm

    Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) hydrologic and hydraulic modeling in Rock Island County, Illinois is underway as part of a study to help local communities identify areas of high flood risk for flood mitigation planning.

  • Soils in Illinois are cool and wet in mid-April

    Apr 19, 2022 1:15 pm

    Illinois soils remain cooler and wetter than normal in mid-April, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey.

  • Temperature swings were typical for March in Illinois

    Apr 1, 2022 2:30 pm

    As is typical for March weather, Illinois temperatures varied from day to day, with an average statewide temperature 1.5 degrees above normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. March average precipitation was 1.32 inches above normal.

  • PRI scientists provide winter soil conditions and an insect pest forecast for Illinois

    Mar 14, 2022 9:30 am

    Near-average winter soil and air temperatures are an indication that crop insect pests may have survived the cold in Illinois, according to scientists Jennie Atkins and Kelly Estes at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) at the University of Illinois.

  • 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.  

  • National Science Foundation funds project to improve weather forecasts for cities

    Feb 23, 2022 12:00 pm

    Scientists at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) have begun a new project that will ultimately improve weather forecasting of severe storms and heatwaves in cities across the US.

  • 2022 begins with a dry and cold January

    Feb 2, 2022 1:00 pm

    The preliminary statewide average January temperature was 21.1 degrees, 5.6 degrees below the 1991–2020 average. The preliminary statewide average total January precipitation was 1.17 inches, 1.14 inches below normal.

  • a hand clad in a purple latex glove holds a small snake against a grassy backdrop

    PRI offers applied science internships for summer 2022

    Jan 28, 2022 8:00 am

    PRI is offering hands-on summer internships that will enable undergraduate students from populations underrepresented in graduate study at Illinois to explore careers in applied science. There are opportunities in atmospheric science and climate; biology, ecology, and environmental science; geology; sustainable energy; and water supply and safety. To see all of the internship options and to apply, visit https://go.illinois.edu/PRI-interns

  • Water Survey to analyze flood risks in Boone, DeKalb, Ogle, and Winnebago counties

    Jan 27, 2022 1:00 pm

    Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) hydrologic and hydraulic modeling in Boone, DeKalb, Ogle and Winnebago Counties, Illinois is underway as part of a study to help local communities identify areas of high flood risk for flood mitigation planning.

  • Scientist-community interaction is a boon for water supply planning

    Jan 13, 2022 11:15 am

    When it comes to water supply planning, stakeholders want to know when their community will be at risk for water shortages. Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) scientists involved in community groundwater modeling are touting the value of engaging those stakeholders to reduce uncertainty and help them understand how the models work.

  • December 2021 was exceptionally warm

    Jan 5, 2022 8:45 am

    Provisional data show December was among the top 5 warmest on record in Illinois, with no snow on Christmas.

  • State Climatologist provides context on December tornadoes

    Dec 16, 2021 8:45 am

    Severe thunderstorms developed in the late afternoon, evening, and night of Dec. 10, resulting in strong tornadoes in Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center listed 85 tornadoes nationwide from the Dec. 10 outbreak, including 12 in Illinois. Also, six deaths were reported in the state.

  • Temperature changes were common throughout November in Illinois

    Dec 1, 2021 11:30 am

    The preliminary statewide average November temperature was 40.7 degrees, 1.0 degree below the 1991–2020 average and 53rd coldest on record going back to 1895. The preliminary statewide average total November precipitation was 1.00 inch, 2.31 inches below the 1991–2020 average and the 9th driest on record.  

  • October in Illinois had warm temperatures and plenty of rain

    Nov 2, 2021 10:45 am

    October 2021 in Illinois was the eighth warmest and the fourth wettest October on record going back to 1895, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  • ISWS researcher contributes to award-winning Chicago Regional Climate Action Planning Partnership

    Oct 22, 2021 2:00 pm

    Illinois State Water Survey climate researcher Ashish Sharma contributed his expertise on climate change and its impacts on urban communities and associated solutions to the recently released Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Region. Last week the collaborative group behind the plan, which includes non-profits, universities, Argonne National Laboratory and municipalities, received a 2021 Climate Leadership Award from the Climate Registry and Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

  • Illinois soils are warmer and wetter in mid-October

    Oct 18, 2021 1:15 pm

    A wet October has caused soil moisture to rise across the state.

  • 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.