Jan 16 | Weather Update and Market Review
The second week of the year brought a fleeting taste of spring, with average temperatures between the mid-30s to upper 40s; 8 to 12 degrees above normal. Some of the more impressive daytime high temperatures this week included 69 in Kaskaskia and 68 in Carbondale. January to date has been 7 to 12 degrees above normal statewide, and has been a top 10 warmest first half of January on record in most parts of the state.
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Despite the warmer weather, we didn’t have much in the way of precipitation this week. 7-day totals ranged from around a tenth of an inch in southeast Illinois to three quarters of an inch in parts of central Illinois. January to date has been around half an inch to 1 inch drier than normal in most of the state, except for a narrow area between Peoria and Chicago, which caught 1 to 3 inches of rain last week. This winter season so far has been slightly wetter than normal in northeast Illinois, slightly drier than normal in most of central and western Illinois, and much drier than normal in southern Illinois. In fact, this winter season so far has been a top 5 driest on record in most places south of Interstate 70, including the 3rd driest in Salem, and 4th driest in Paducah.
Looking ahead, our milder weather will come to a cold end this weekend, as much cooler air moves into the Midwest. Highs will struggle to make it above 20 in northern Illinois and above freezing in southern Illinois this weekend, and will be in the single digits on Monday. Unfortunately, the cold air will not bring much in the way of precipitation, with 7-day forecasted totals mostly less than a quarter of an inch. Virtually all of this will fall as on again off again light snow through the weekend and into next week. Colder weather looks to stick around as the week 2 and week 3 outlooks both show best chances of below normal temperatures through the first week of February. Most of the region is expected to get better chances of precipitation, though, in the final week of January.
—
WILLAg.org radio programming for the work week ending January 16, 2026
Commodity Week can be heard in the 2 o’clock hour central time on WILL AM580 or you may subscribe to it using the links in the player below. This week the panelists include Logan Kimmel from Roach Ag, Jim McCormick at AgMarket.net, and Mike Zuzolo with Global Commodity Analytics and Consulting.
The Closing Market Report airs at 2:06 p.m. central daily on WILL AM580. It, too, is a podcast. Subscribe using the link in the player.