Drought Information Statement for 
Central and Southeast Illinois
Valid September 11, 2025
Issued By: WFO Lincoln, IL
Contact Information: nws.lincoln@noaa.gov

The next update will be Thursday, September 18, if conditions persist or worsen.
Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements.
Please visit https://www.weather.gov/ilx/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates.
Key Messages:
Rapid expansion of drought is taking place over central and southeast Illinois.
An extended period of much above normal temperatures, and little rainfall, favors additional worsening of the drought.


U.S. Drought Monitor:

Drought Intensity and Extent:
D4 (Exceptional Drought): N/A
D3 (Extreme Drought): N/A
D2 (Severe Drought): Northern portions of Champaign and Piatt Counties
D1 (Moderate Drought): Portions of Champaign, Christian, Clay, Coles, Cumberland, De Witt, Douglas, Edgar, Macon, McLean, Menard, Moultrie, Sangamon, Shelby, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties
D0: (Abnormally Dry): Portions of Cass, Clark, Effingham, Fulton, Jasper, Lawrence, Logan, Mason, Morgan, Peoria, Richland, Schuyler, Scott, and Vermilion Counties

Recent Change in Drought Intensity:

One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. 
Drought Worsened: 
Corridor from near Bloomington south to Shelbyville, from Petersburg and Springfield south, and also near Flora.

Drought Improved:
None.

No Change:
Illinois River Valley, much of east central Illinois, much of southeast Illinois.


Precipitation:
Very little rain has fallen since mid August, especially south of I-74. Some portions of south central Illinois have seen less than a tenth inch of rain. 

Rainfall during September has mainly been less than 0.10”, with isolated heavier amounts of 1-2” along I-74 near Champaign.


Temperature:
Average temperatures have been running below normal in most areas since about August 24th.

Averages for September to date are running 6 to 10 degrees below normal.


Summary of Impacts:

Hydrologic Impacts: 
Streamflow along the Sangamon, Vermilion, and Mackinaw Rivers in the eastern half of central Illinois is much below normal, and some smaller creeks are near zero flow.
Lake levels: Lake Decatur about 1 foot below seasonal normals, Lake Shelbyville about 1 foot below, Lake Springfield 0.6 feet below.

Agricultural Impacts:
Crops are drying rapidly with harvest efforts beginning.

Fire Hazard Impacts:
Burn bans have been implemented in the following areas: Clay and Lawrence Counties, and local bans in Sherman and Pawnee (both in Sangamon County).
There is a field fire risk as farmers run hot equipment through dry fields during harvest.

Other Impacts:
Yards are stressed and turning brown.

Mitigation Actions:
None.


Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts:
The most significant streamflow impacts are on portions of the Sangamon, Mackinaw, and Vermilion Rivers. However, middle portions of the Illinois River basin are also well below normal.

Agricultural Impacts:
Rapidly drying crops have led to ahead of schedule harvesting across the state.

Fire Hazard Impacts:
Field fire risk is a concern as farmers run hot equipment through dry fields.

Seven Day Precipitation Forecast:
Rainfall over the next 7 days is expected to be sparse, with any rain chances generally less than 20%.

Long Range Outlooks:
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage. 
The fall temperature outlook favors a 40-50% chance of average temperature above normal. 
The precipitation outlook does not favor a particular trend, meaning equal chances of above normal, near normal, or below normal rainfall.

Drought Outlook: 
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage. 
An extended period of dry weather may worsen conditions across the state in the coming weeks.