It's no secret to anyone here in the Stateline, or really the entire Midwest that we're in a drought, and that the situation is becoming increasingly serious by the day! Less than an inch of rain has come down since the opening of June, and no substantial rain is in sight.

The latest report from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center estimates that 3" to 6" of rain are needed in Central Wisconsin to bring dry conditions back closer to normal, while things are far more pressing as you head south! In Southern Wisconsin, it's suspected that 6" to 9" are necessary to achieve near normal drought conditions, and here in Northern Illinois, it's even worse! To alleviate the current drought, it would take between 9" and 12" of rainfall, with even higher totals just south!

Keep in mind, these totals assume that the pattern would change very soon, if not immediately! Should we put together another 2-3 week string of dry weather, which is entirely possible, things will undoubtedly become even more desperate! Such a string would undoubtedly send the amount of rainfall needed here closer to the 12" to 15" range, as is the case currently across a good chunk of Central and Southern Illinois!