Mar 27 | Weather Update and Market Review
This week was quintessential spring in Illinois. Average temperatures ranged from the mid-40s in northern Illinois to the high 50s in southern Illinois, between 6 and 12 degrees above normal.
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Some of the more impressive daytime high temperatures this week included 92 degrees in Springfield and 89 in Bloomington-Normal. Springfield’s 90 degree day this week was the earliest in the year since 1907, and only the second time on record where the capital hit 90 in March. With only a few days left, March temperatures have been 4 to 8 degrees above normal. This month has been a top 10 warmest on record in Champaign-Urbana, and the warmest March since 2012.
We had a little bit of a quieter weather week, with precipitation and storms mainly contained to east-central Illinois. 7-day precipitation totals ranged from virtually nothing in far southern Illinois to just over 3 inches in east-central Illinois. This week also brought another round of severe weather to central Illinois, including over a dozen reports of smaller hail on Thursday evening. March precipitation to date has ranged from around 1.5 inches in northwest Illinois to nearly 7 inches in central Illinois. In fact, this month is already the third wettest march on record in Springfield, and the wet start to spring has made quite a dent in our drought.
Looking ahead, our temperature roller coaster ride continues this week, with temperatures gradually increasing into the 70s and 80s by Wednesday, followed by a drop back into the 50s and 60s by next weekend. We keep the wet weather rolling, too, as 7-day precipitation forecasts show between 1 and 2 inches expected across the entire state next week.
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WILLAg.org radio programming for the work week ending March 27, 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 Curt Kimmel from AgMarket.net, Dave Chatterton with Strategic Farm Marketing, and Greg Johnson of TGM, Total Grain Marketing.
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.