May was an exceptionally dry month in the Stateline, for Rockford in particular. Only 0.52" of rain came down all month at the Rockford airport, making it the second driest May on record. It was similarly dry across much of the region as well. Maps below show the accumulated rainfall and percent of normal over the last 30 days, highlighting much of the Stateline region that has been exceptionally dry over the last month. Some locations have only seen less than 1/4th of "typical rainfall over the last 30 days!
Last week, the Climate Prediction Center indicated that much of the area was under risk for "Rapid Onset Drought". Just a week later, much of that same area is now under a Moderate Drought from the latest Drought Monitor. This has been rapidly expanding, given that just 3 weeks ago only a small part of Northern Illinois was considered "Abnormally Dry".
Some much-needed rain may soon be on the way, with repeated rounds of showers and thunderstorms starting Friday morning. While the rain will not be uniform and soaking rain for everyone, the additional waves will result in higher rainfall potential for everyone. Latest forecast models and the Weather Prediction Center suggest around 0.5-1.0" may be possible over the last 5 days, with higher amounts within scattered thunderstorms that may develop. Not totally drought-busting, but it would be more rainfall than we've seen in quite a while!
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