Mar 27 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

Our last full week of March had very March-like weather, with average temperatures ranging from the high 30s in far northern Illinois to the low 50s in far southern Illinois, right around normal for this time of the year. March to date average temperatures have been 3 to 6 degrees warmer than normal; a top 10 warmest March on record so far for much of northern Illinois.

Another round of storms brought modest precipitation totals across the state this week, ranging from less than a tenth of an inch in east-central Illinois to just over 1.5 inches in the Metro east. March to date has been 1 to 2 inches wetter than normal in north-central and northeast Illinois, and has been 2 to 3 inches drier than normal in southwest Illinois. Carbondale has only had about 1 and a quarter inches of precipitation so far this month, a top 10 driest start to spring on record there.

Looking ahead, the summary is warm and wet. High temperatures will reach into the 70s and low 80s this weekend before dropping off a bit into the 50s early next week. Any cool down will be temporary, though, as we return to the 60s and 70s by the middle to end of next week. Meanwhile, our active storm track continues with multiple chances of rain over the next week. Forecasted 7-day totals range from around 1.5 inches in western Illinois to possibly over 3 inches in southeast Illinois. Some of this rain will come courtesy of potentially severe storms, as the Storm Prediction Center has put the southern two-thirds of Illinois in an Enhanced category for severe thunderstorms on Sunday. So, as we move from March into April, the weather will not necessarily be most conducive for early spring fieldwork in Illinois. Farther out, all outlooks for the first three weeks of April show best chances of warmer and wetter than normal weather. An continued active jet stream and open Gulf of Mexico will likely continue to give us chances for severe weather as well.