Nov 01 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast
The calendar has turned over to November, and temperatures have followed suit. That said, for most of this week our weather continued its mild trend that’s been around for most of fall. 7-day average temperatures ranged from the low 50s in northern Illinois to the mid-60s in southern Illinois, between 3 and 8 degrees above average. October as a whole ended around 1 to 2 degrees above normal statewide. The fall season through the end of October has been a top 10 warmest on record in Chicago, Peoria, and St. Louis, and 2024 to date has been the warmest year on record in Chicago and Peoria.
Rain fell across the much of the state late this week, resulting in 7-day totals around a quarter to half an inch in southern and eastern Illinois up to nearly 3 inches in parts of northwest Illinois. October was 2 to 4 inches drier than normal across much of the state, and northwest Illinois was the only area that had near normal October precipitation. Snowfall has alluded the state so far this season, although I’m not sure anyone is missing the white stuff just yet.
Looking ahead, our weather this upcoming week will be quite a bit more active than we’ve experienced in a while. The entire state will see multiple rounds of rainfall this weekend and into next week, with 7-day forecasted totals between 1.5-2 inches in southern Illinois up to 4 inches in western Illinois. At the very least, the first inch or so will help improve drought conditions, especially in north-central Illinois which is currently in severe drought according to the US Drought Monitor. Temperatures remain on the mild side most of next week, with highs in the 60s and low 70s. Farther out, the latest week 2 outlook shows better chances of above average temperatures and below average precipitation coming back into the picture for the second week of November. That said, outlooks for the entire month of November show best chances of above average precipitation, likely being influenced by the fact that some parts of Illinois may get their normal total November precipitation in just the next few days. With mild temperatures for at least the first half of the month, we may have to wait a bit longer for our first taste of winter and any form of precipitation other than rain.