Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

2005 was warm, dry year

2005 was warm, dry year

By Eva Kingston, Illinois State Water Survey

“Preliminary data for Illinois indicate 2005 was the 11th driest and 12th warmest year since 1895,” said State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey, a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. According to Angel, precipitation in 2005 averaged only 31.48 inches (7.75 inches below normal), compared to 26.32 inches in 1901, the driest year on record. Statewide temperatures in 2005 averaged 53.8 degrees F (2.1 degrees above normal) compared to 55.6 degrees F in 1921, the warmest year on record. Temperature extremes during 2005 ranged from 107 degrees F at Monmouth on July 25 to -17 degrees F at Mount Carroll on Dec. 19. “After a very cold start to December, even temperatures much above normal the last 10 days of 2005 didn’t warm up the statistics. Statewide December temperatures were the 24th coldest on record and averaged 26.7 degrees F (3.1 degrees below normal). Precipitation also averaged 1.23 inches (1.51 inches below normal), the 17th driest December since 1895. Temperature extremes ranged from -17 degrees F at Mount Carroll on Dec. 19 to 64 degrees F at Carbondale on Dec. 28,” Angel said. “The National Weather Service forecast shows an increased chance of warmer-than-average temperatures for January-March. Historically, this is not surprising because January and February are usually mild after a cold December. Don’t expect too much relief of drought concerns in January and February either; typically they are Illinois’ two driest months, with precipitation averaging 2 inches each month compared with a monthly average of 4 inches during the growing season,” Angel said.

Back to Index

Read Next

Health and medicine Dr. Timothy Fan, left, sits in a consulting room with the pet owner. Between them stands the dog, who is looking off toward Fan.

How are veterinarians advancing cancer research in dogs, people?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — People are beginning to realize that dogs share a lot more with humans than just their homes and habits. Some spontaneously occurring cancers in dogs are genetically very similar to those in people and respond to treatment in similar ways. This means inventive new treatments in dogs, when effective, may also be […]

Honors From left, individuals awarded the 2025 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement are Antoinette Burton, director of the Humanities Research Institute; Ariana Mizan, undergraduate student in strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship; Lee Ragsdale, the reentry resource program director for the Education Justice Project; and Ananya Yammanuru, a graduate student in computer science. Photos provided.

Awards recognize excellence in public engagement

The 2025 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement were recently awarded to faculty, staff and community members who address critical societal issues.

Uncategorized Portrait of the researchers standing outside in front of a grove of trees.

Study links influenza A viral infection to microbiome, brain gene expression changes

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a study of newborn piglets, infection with influenza A was associated with disruptions in the piglets’ nasal and gut microbiomes and with potentially detrimental changes in gene activity in the hippocampus, a brain structure that plays a central role in learning and memory. Maternal vaccination against the virus during pregnancy appeared […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010