Feb 06 | Weather Update and Market Review
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.
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Precipitation was hard to come by once again this week, with most places receiving less than a tenth of an inch of light powdery snow. January ended around 2 inches drier than normal statewide, and only parts of Cook and Will Counties were wetter than normal last month. The eye-popping snow totals in parts of southern Illinois were underwhelming in terms of liquid water equivalent. For example, Du Quoin had nearly 20 inches of snow last month, over 500% of normal for January. And yet all that snow yielded less than 1 inch of liquid water, which left Du Quoin 2 inches drier than average last month. Therein lies the problem with light snow and the lack of drought relief, especially in central and southern Illinois where soils remain very dry and streams very low. Once the snow melts this week, spoiler alert, we will get a better understanding of how much or, in reality, how little the snow has helped improve drought.
Looking ahead, temperatures climb out of the teens and 20s over the weekend and will peak in the 40s and maybe 50s next week. Unfortunately, the warmer air does not bring a lot of humidity with it, so most places will get less than a tenth of an inch of precipitation next week. Farther out, the third week of the month is leaning warmer and wetter than average as a more active jet stream builds into the Midwest. Active weather is what the doctor ordered as we barrel toward spring.
Why You Should Use the N-Rate Calculator
– John Jones, Soil Scientist – University of Illinois
– Gary Schnitkey, Agricultural Economist – University of Illinois
– Laura Gentry, Water Quality Specialist – Illinois Corn Growers Association
During the December Illinois Extension conference we were joined by a panel of experts: John Jones, a soil fertility specialist from the University of Illinois; Gary Schnitkey, an agricultural economist also from the U of I; and Laura Gentry, of the Illinois Corn Growers Association’s. In an era of fluctuating input costs, these three believe corn production is about maximizing profits rather than yields. Today you’ll listen to them break down how the N-Rate Calculator and the Precision Conservation Management program are helping farmers protect both the local watershed and their bottom line by finding the ‘sweet spot’ for nitrogen applications.
WILLAg.org radio programming for the work week ending February 06, 2026
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 with AgMarket.net, Greg Johnson from TGM, and Risk Management Commodities’ Sherman Newlin.
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.