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Illinois climatologist: plan for a wet spring, but not another 2019

Illinois state climatologist Trent Ford says farmers should plan for another wet spring, but not a repeat of 2019.

“Right now, hydrologically, looking at our soils, our streams, our snowpack, we are not near the conditions that we had in 2019. So, although it is likely we will see wetter than normal conditions in the spring, it is unlikely that we are going to see the level or magnitude of the impacts we had in 2019.”

Ford says it is too early to predict if planting will begin on time, but wetter than normal conditions are almost certain.

“We will still probably be seeing impacts related to excess precipitation come this spring so it is good now to plan for that sort of thing.”

For the short term, Ford says the next 3 to 4 weeks should bring dryer than normal conditions for most of the state.

Brownfield interviewed Ford at the Illinois Crop Management Conference in Mt. Vernon.