Sep 11, 2025 5:45 pm0 views
An extremely dry end to summer and start to fall has intensified ongoing drought in central and southern Illinois and increased the fire and blowing dust risk as we approach harvest, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute. River levels have dropped near or below low stage, including on the Kaskaskia, Sangamon, and Mackinaw, among others.