Dry August led to a severe drought in parts of Central Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A dry August is leading to a severe drought being declared for parts of Champaign and Piatt Counties.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is updated every Thursday.

“It’s kind of the the gold standard of monitoring drought conditions across the whole country,” the Illinois State Climatologist, Trent Ford, said.

This week Ford used the U.S Drought Monitor to declare a severe drought in the northern-most parts of Champaign County and into Piatt County. It’s the first time this year it’s been issued.

Ford cited the “exceptionally dry August” as the reason for the warning.

August saw less than 50% of normal rainfall throughout Central Illinois. But Mattoon and Charleston only saw 1% of the rainfall they normally get in the month of August.

“So, just going back to the beginning of the year. This is the driest start to any year on record since 1988,” Ford said.

Northern and Central Champaign County are major sources for the Sangamon River.

“The Sangamon, in many places, are well below average stream flow and even in drought conditions,” Fisher shared.

Champaign County Forest Preserve is seeing the same.

“We’ve got really low flow and kind of nonflow in some areas right now,” Champaign County Forest Preserve Deputy Executive Director, Michael Daab, added about the Sangamon.

Lake levels are also low right now which could lead to a bigger issue.

“We could also see where those shallower pools with no flow and really warm weather can be more conducive to the toxic blue-green algae,” Daab said.

Among these concerns, the drought is not at a level where Ford expects it to limit anyone’s water usage. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.

“For humans, water availability in certain municipalities can be really strongly tied to the river,” Ford shared.

He also said that because of the rain that came in July, he hasn’t seen too many catastrophic impacts yet when it comes to crops. Ford said that lawns, gardens, forests, and water levels in lakes are struggling the most.