Latest Midwest storm exits the region

On the Plains, cold, dry weather prevails, except for a few snow showers in Kansas and eastern Colorado. For the most part, the Plains’ wheat continues to overwinter with few major concerns.

Across the Corn Belt, wet snow is blanketing the lower Great Lakes region, while rain is falling in parts of Indiana and Ohio. Meanwhile, cold weather prevails in the western Corn Belt, where Monday morning’s low temperatures fell to near 0 degrees in some locations.

In the South, showers and thunderstorms are maintaining unfavorably soggy conditions. Rain is spreading into the Southeast, while cool, dry weather is returning to areas from the Delta westward.

In the West, rain and snow showers stretch from southern California into the Southwest, but mild, dry conditions persist in the Pacific Northwest.

Illinois Has Fourth Wettest Year on Record

Based on preliminary data in Illinois, the statewide average precipitation for 2009 was 50.3 inches, 11 inches above normal. This was the fourth wettest year on record for the state based on data going back to 1895, according to the Illinois State Water Survey.

The wettest year on record was 1993 with 51.2 inches, followed closely by 2008 with 50.5 inches, and 1990 with 50.4 inches. All four wettest years have been in the last 20 years of the record. The normal statewide annual precipitation in Illinois is 39.2 inches.

The statewide precipitation for December was 4.1 inches, 1.4 inches above normal. While much of that precipitation fell as rain, areas north of Interstate 64 reported measureable snow totals. Significant snow was reported north of Interstate 80 with totals of 8 to 21 inches.

The statewide average temperature for December was 28.9 degrees, 1.0 degree below normal. As a result, the annual temperature for 2009 was 51.2 degrees, 0.8 degrees below normal. The outstanding colder-than-normal months in 2009 were January, July, August, and October. January was 4.2 degrees below normal, July was 5.2 degrees below normal, August was 2.6 degrees below normal, and October was 4.4 degrees below normal.

An outstanding feature is the two back-to-back exceptionally wet years. Together they account for 100.8 inches of precipitation. That is an extra 22.4 inches of precipitation over the two-year period.