Oct 11 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast
October has taken over where September left off, with warm days and cool nights. Average temperatures over the past week ranged from the high 50s in northern Illinois to the mid-60s in southern Illinois, between 1 and 4 degrees above normal. The dryness of the air has been particularly remarkable, with afternoon relative humidity regularly dipping into the teens and low 20s. While the extremely dry air has been comfortable, it has also added to the lack of precipitation and increased the risk of field fires and blowing dust.
Speaking of precipitation, most of the state remained completely dry this week, with only the western portions picking up around a half an inch or so. The remnants of Hurricane Helene brought our last shot of real rain, and kept southern Illinois above normal on precipitation over the last 30 days, but most areas north of Interstate 70 have been 1 to 4 inches drier than normal since mid-September. That same hurricane seriously bumped up flow on the lower Mississippi River; however, our recent dryness has quickly brought it back down. At this point, the Mississippi at Memphis is forecasted to drop back below low threshold over the weekend. On the bright side, the weather has been great for harvest as long as folks are able to take precautions for fire and dust.
Looking ahead, our warmer temperatures will peak on Saturday with some places approaching highs around 90. A relatively dry cold front moves through this weekend and sends temperatures into real fall territority. Highs next week will struggle to get above 60 and low temperatures will regularly dip into the mid to low 30s. It’s likely much of the state will see some frost next week, which is a little later than usual for northern Illinois but pretty much right on schedule for central Illinois. While our temperatures will change next week, we’ll remain in a very dry pattern. Most of Illinois is forecasted to pick up less than a tenth of an inch next week. The cooler weather may not last long, though, as the week 2 outlooks for late October show best chances of above average temperatures, and also begin to sneak some better chances of above average precipitation into the Midwest. For now, though, mild and dry weather will keep harvest going strong across Illinois.