March and early April rainfall help state recover from drought

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The drought that plagued much of Illinois' growing season last year isn't over yet, but it may be on the way out, weather observers said Thursday.

The state, on average, received about 4.8 inches of rain in March. That's more than 1.5 inches above normal and offsets February, when precipitation was more than 1 inch below normal.

"It's just been the last six weeks or so," said Jim Angel, the state climatologist. "We came off a dry February. That's when things didn't look very well at all."

Through the first three months of 2006, Illinois is running about 1.3 inches above normal, and April also is on track to be an above-average month, thanks to heavy rain in many areas of the state during its first two weeks, Angel said.

"Historically, we've found it takes one or two months of really above average precipitation to break the back of a drought," he said. "I think most of Illinois would certainly qualify."

April's statewide rainfall average is 3.8 inches and in May, historically the state's wettest month, the average is 4.3 inches, Angel said.

There still are regions in the state where rainfall is desperately needed. Most of the area north of a line from Quincy to Chicago is classified as being in moderate drought, with an area of severe drought through Marshall, Putnam and LaSalle counties, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

"Up and down Interstate 39, they haven't recovered as much as central and western Illinois," Angel said.

The long-range forecast calls for above-normal precipitation into June, said Ed Shimon, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Lincoln.

"The way the jet streams have been setting up, it appears we are in a favorable storm track for this early season, already," he said. "Periodic storm systems should provide us with at least our normal precipitation, which in most areas should keep the drought at bay."

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On the Net:

Illinois State Water Survey: http://www.sws.uiuc.edu/

U.S. Drought Monitor: http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html