Illinois continues to deal with a severe drought. April 1st through June 30th was the 11th driest period for Illinois since record-keeping began in the early 1800s.

According to the U.S. drought monitor, only Missouri has a higher percentage of counties dealing with drought than Illinois.  

That is Illinois State climatologist Trent Ford.  He says recent heavy rains in northern Illinois didn’t alleviate the drought but made a dent.

Ford says receiving 8 inches of rain in a single day is not ideal because around 2 inches soaks in and the rest runs off.  Over a quarter of the continental U.S. is currently experiencing moderate to exceptional drought.