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We had another cold and mostly dry week across the state. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low teens in northern Illinois to the high 20s in southern Illinois, between 8 and 18 degrees below average. A healthy snowpack in the southern half of the state helped push nighttime low temperatures well below 0, including lows of 7 below in Taylorville and 4 below in Jerseyville. The cold end to January pushed the month as a whole to be around 2 degrees below normal statewide.…

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Introduction
Recent dust storm events in central Illinois and across the Midwest have renewed attention on soil conservation, especially after the tragic May 2023 event near Springfield that caused an 80-vehicle pileup, eight fatalities, and dozens of injuries. These incidents highlight that soil loss is not only an agronomic issue but also a public safety and environmental concern. Reduced tillage and cover crops are well-established practices to reduce wind and water erosion,…

Winter has come back with a vengeance after a temporary pause. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low teens in northern Illinois to the mid-20s in southern Illinois, between 4 and 8 degrees below normal statewide. Nighttime low temperatures this week regularly dipped into the single digits, if not below zero, including -5 degrees in Rockford and -2 in Aurora. The wind was also a factor, pushing wind chill values close to -20 on a few days.…

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.…