Drought Information Statement for Central and Southeast Illinois Valid January 15, 2026 Issued By: WFO Lincoln, IL Contact Information: nws.lincoln@noaa.gov The next update will be around Thursday, January 22nd, if conditions persist or worsen. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/ilx/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates. Key Messages: Showers and storms brought pockets of heavy rain last week, which overlapped with a few of the hardest hit drought areas. Otherwise, light precipitation fell areawide over the last 7 days. Minor improvements to the D1 and D2 drought areas were noted in parts of western and central IL. 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Drought Intensity and Extent: D4 (Exceptional Drought): N/A D3 (Extreme Drought): Portions of east-central Illinois including Piatt, Douglas, and Champaign Counties, and parts of Moultrie, De Witt, McLean, Coles, Edgar, and Vermilion Counties. D2 (Severe Drought): Most of east-central Illinois. D1 (Moderate Drought): The vast majority of counties across western, central, and southeast Illinois. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Small area west of the IL River and in southeast Illinois near the Wabash River in Lawrence and southeast Crawford counties. Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: None. Drought Improved: Portions of western and central Illinois. No Change: The majority of the area remains unchanged. Image Caption: One week change in drought monitor categories. Image from Drought.gov. Recent Precipitation Pockets of heavy rain fell with showers and storms last week, bringing areas of near to above normal rainfall to parts of central IL (right). The past 30 days (left) generally had a mix of above and below normal precipitation, with the driest areas across central and southeast IL. Last 7 days and 30 days Image Caption: Total precipitation as a percentage of normal, as of January 14. Left image is a 30 day average, right image the last 7 days. Images from Drought.gov. Temperature Average temperatures were slightly above normal during the month of November. Averages for the last week of November were slightly below normal. December (not pictured) has also had a colder than normal start across central and southeast Illinois. Image Caption: Average temperatures vs. normal, as of November 30th. Left image is a 30 day average, right image the last 7 days. Images from Midwestern Regional Climate Center. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Streamflow on most rivers is below normal, with many basins below the 25th percentile and several below the 10th percentile. Near record low flow on the east end of the Sangamon River basin is impacting water supplies of Lake Decatur downstream. Agricultural Impacts No recent impacts reported in the past week. Fire Hazard Impacts None reported. Other Impacts Extremely poor to record low water table and deep soil moisture conditions. Mitigation Actions Voluntary Stage 1 water rationing is in effect in Decatur. Voluntary water conservation requested in Bloomington. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Most streamflows are below normal, with the most significant streamflow impacts on portions of the Sangamon and Illinois Rivers. Some smaller streams are reporting near normal flows north of the Sangamon basin in central IL, as well as the Vermilion Basin in east-central IL. Image Caption: USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC map valid December 23, 2025. Agricultural Impacts Rapidly drying crops have led to ahead of schedule harvesting across the state. Image Caption: Left: 1-month Evaporative Demand Drought Index valid October 22, courtesy of NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Right: 7-day Evapotranspiration ending October 18, courtesy of Midwestern Regional Climate Center. Fire Hazard Impacts Field fire risk is a concern as farmers run hot equipment through dry fields. Image Caption: Left: Keetch-Byram Drought Index courtesy of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, valid September 30. Right: Significant Wildland Fire Potential Monthly Outlook for October, courtesy of the National Interagency Fire Center. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast A few quick hitting snow systems will bring light precipitation (<0.10” of liquid equivalent) to the area through next week. This will likely result in little change or worsening conditions with the next update. Image Caption: Expected rainfall over the next 7 days, valid through 6 PM Thursday, January 22. Check weather.gov/ilx for updated forecasts. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook Summarize conditions and impacts here Long Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Above normal precipitation is favored for January (33% to 60% chance) across central IL for January. There are approximately equal chances for above or below normal temperatures for the month of January. Image Caption: Precipitation (left) and temperature (right) outlooks for December. Check weather.gov/ilx for updated forecasts. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought is forecast to improve or end across the area through the end of April. Image Caption: Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook released Jan. 15, valid through April 30, 2026. Images from Drought.gov. Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook