Illinois State Water Survey - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Drought in Illinois

Dr. Jim Angel, State Climatologist

Drought is a complex physical and social phenomenon of widespread significance, and despite all the problems droughts have caused, drought has been difficult to define (see background and FAQ). In fact, the most straightforward way to identify a drought is by looking at the impacts such as crop losses, low water levels in lakes and streams, and water shortages, rather than specific definitions of shortfalls in precipitation.

Current Drought Status:

Other Current Maps

click to enlarge

30-Day Precipitation

90-Day Precipitation

USGS Streamflow

90-Day Standardized Precipitation Index

The 2012 Drought in Illinois

Illinois experienced one of the most severe droughts in recent decades in 2012. The 2012 drought was covered extensively in the blog at http://climateillinois.wordpress.com . You can find out information specifically on the 2012 drought on the State Water Survey drought page.

2012 Drought Reports

• The Drought of 2012 - report by the Illinois Drought Response Taskforce
• NOAA Drought Task Force report on the origins of the 2012 drought
• Water Survey Report on the 2012 Drought

More Links to Monitoring Products

• Illinois - current conditions
• Illinois - latest soil moisture
• U.S. Drought Monitor
• Soil Moisture Models
• Midwestern Regional Climate Center
• NASA Land Data Assimilation Systems (LDAS)
• NWS Climate Prediction Center
• University of Washington
• Princeton University
• NWS Drought Forecast
• USGS Daily Streamflow Conditions
• U.S. Palmer Drought Index Map
• USDA Current Crop Conditions

Worst-case and Severe Drought Frequency

• Worst-case Drought

Drought Frequency (return periods of 25, 50, 100, and 200 years)

• 12-month Drought
• 18-month Drought
• 24-month Drought
• 36-month Drought
• 48-month Drought
• 60-month Drought

Publications

• 2005 Drought in Illinois Ken Kunkel (editor), Illinois State Water Survey IEM 2006-3, 2006 (pdf).
• The Water Cycle and Water Budgets in Illinois: A Framework for Drought and Water-supply Planning by Derek Winstanley et al., Illinois State Water Survey IEM 2006-02 (pdf).
• Detecting Drought Conditions in Illinois by Stan Changnon, Illinois State Water Survey Circular 169, 1987 (pdf).
• The 1988-89 Drought in Illinois: Causes, Dimensions, and Impacts Edited by Peter Lamb, Illinois State Water Survey Research Report 121, 1992.

Outside Links:

• U.S. Drought Portal
• National Drought Mitigation Center
• Seasonal Climate Outlooks for the U.S. - NOAA Climate Prediction Center
• Recent Conditions in the Midwest - Midwestern Regional Climate Center