Aug 29 | Weather Update and Market Review
This weather week reminded me why I love living in central Illinois. Average temperatures this week range from the low 60s in northern Illinois to the mid-70s in southern Illinois, between 2 and 8 degrees below normal. Some of the more impressive nighttime low temperatures this week include 41 in Illinois City and 44 in Springfield. Carbondale reached 45 degrees overnight this week, the lowest August temperature there since 1988. The cool weather has brought August to date temperatures closer to the 30-year normal statewide and is quite a contrast to what has otherwise been an extremely humid summer.
The only downside to this week’s cool weather is that it was also quite dry across Illinois. While Farm Progress Show attendees enjoyed clear skies, the lack of precipitation this week has only added to significant deficits in southern and east-central Illinois, going back to mid-July. Carbondale has only had 2 hundredths of an inch of rain so far this month, and it will likely be the driest August on record in Carbondale. Here in Champaign, we’ve experienced our driest August to date since 2013. In fact, 2025 has been the driest year to date in Champaign-Urbana since 1988.
Looking ahead, it’s more good news and bad news. The good news is that temperatures will only climb slightly this weekend into early next week, with highs in the low to mid 80s and nighttime lows back in the 50s. Another cold front is set to move through the area late next week, bringing another shot of colder weather. The bad news is that the 7-day precipitation forecast shows another big goose egg in much of southern and central Illinois. The cooler weather helps slow the drought, but only precipitation will bring actual improvement. Farther out, the week 2 outlook for the first full week of September shows cooler and drier than normal weather sticking around. With corn and beans turning quickly, the comfortable and dry weather will facilitate a nice start to harvest. However, we’re going to have to see more consistently wetter weather at some point to make up for some serious rainfall deficits in southern and central Illinois before we get too far into winter.
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI Univeristy of Illinois
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WILLAg.org radio programming for the work week ending August 29, 2025
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 Matt Bennett of AgMarket.net, Arlan Suderman from StoneX.com, and Collin Watters of the Illinois Corn Growers Association.
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.