Illinois the linchpin between drought and excessive moisture

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Illinois the linchpin between drought and excessive moisture

A climatologist says Illinois is the linchpin between drought and excessive moisture in the Midwest as spring approaches.

Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford says the southern part of the state is too wet, a trend that follows through southern Indiana, Ohio and parts of Kentucky.

“The Ohio Valley has been very wet, and the outlook has strong confidence of wetter than normal conditions for that area.”

As you move north in Illinois, drought starts to set in and gets more severe into the northern and western states.

“Parts of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakotas- that is an area in drought and looks to intensify over the next couple of months if they aren’t able to put together a nice spring rainfall. And in fact, the outlook that looks so wet for us here in Illinois, is looking dry for that part of the region.”

He says both scenarios could cause delays and crop management concerns come planting time.

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