Very Dry October So Far

If you've been wondering if October has seemed abnormally dry, you are completely correct. In fact, it has been very dry. We have officially seen one one-hundredth of an inch of rainfall thus far this month, which is well below average. Typically by October 20th, we have received 1.64" of rainfall, so we are quite a bit below normal in the rainfall department here in Rockford.

The good news is we have some rain moving our way for this evening. Currently, the rain is situated in Eastern Iowa crossing the Mississippi River into Western Illinois. Here's a current look at the radar:

This batch of rain and embedded thunderstorms is moving east northeast, which takes it right through the Stateline, especially south of US 20. Any rain that falls with this system will be very beneficial as the soils are extremely dry. So, despite the forecast rain totals not being too impressive, it will help with the very dry conditions that we have out there. As it looks now, the heaviest rain will fall from Rockford and points to the south as the core of the heavy rain will likely travel in that general direction.

 

Locations in the teal shade could receive upwards of three tenths of an inch of rain before it ends later tonight. Other areas will likely see less, but nonetheless, any rain we can squeeze out of this system will help significantly.