Drought Information Statement for Central and Southeast Illinois Valid January 29, 2026 Issued By: WFO Lincoln, IL Contact Information: nws.lincoln@noaa.gov The next update will be around Thursday, February 5, 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: Persistent extremely cold conditions with moderate amounts of moisture in the form of snow have kept drought conditions from improving or degrading. Little precipitation is expected in the upcoming week, although much below normal temperatures should keep conditions from changing rapidly. 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 remaining portions of east-central Illinois. D1 (Moderate Drought): The vast majority of counties across western, central, and southeast Illinois. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Small area northwest of the Illinois 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: None. No Change: Entire area. Image Caption: One week change in drought monitor categories. Image from Drought.gov. Recent Precipitation Precipitation over the past 7 days included significant snow accumulation, especially toward southeast IL, where snowfall amounts over 12 inches were observed. Meanwhile, amounts were light enough that below normal precipitation was observed toward northwest IL. The past 30 days were drier than normal from west-central to east-central IL southward, and wetter than normal toward northwest 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. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Streamflow is below normal for most rivers from the Sangamon River southward ( < 25 percent of normal). Near record low flow on the east end of the Sangamon River basin is impacting water supplies of Lake Decatur downstream. Lake Decatur is reported to be around 3.8 feet below normal. Lake Springfield is around 1.5 feet below normal. 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 and Sullivan. Image Caption: USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC map valid December 23, 2025. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Very little precipitation is expected over the upcoming week. Most precipitation will be in the form of light snow, with temperatures remaining much below normal. Image Caption: Expected rainfall over the next 7 days, valid through 6 PM Thursday, February 5. Check weather.gov/ilx for updated forecasts. Image Caption: Expected rainfall over the next 7 days, valid through 6 PM Wednesday, February 4. Check weather.gov/ilx for updated forecasts. 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 50% chance) across central IL for February. There are approximately equal chances for above or below normal temperatures for the month of February. Image Caption: Precipitation (left) and temperature (right) outlooks for February. 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.