Southern Illinois flips from drought to excess moisture

Southern Illinois flips from drought to excess moisture

The southern third of Illinois has seen a dramatic shift in moisture from fall to spring.

State climatologist Trent Ford tells Brownfield according to the US Drought Monitor the “south seven” counties (Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski and Massac) were in extreme drought last November.  

“Especially since the beginning of the year the switch has flipped there and areas that saw a top 10 driest fall on record are experiencing what will likely be a top 10 wettest winter, if not top 5.”

He says that area has been 4 to 6 inches wetter than normal since the beginning of the year, which is significant considering that January and February are usually the driest months of the year.

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