Kankakee — Even with some recent showers, dryness across northern Illinois and neighboring Indiana has intensified this week, according to Thursday’s update from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
In Kankakee County, conditions deteriorated quickly: 20 percent of the county is now in moderate drought, jumping from just 3 percent a week ago, while the remaining 80 percent is classified as abnormally dry.
Iroquois County is faring worse, with 7 percent of its area in severe drought and another 70 percent under moderate drought. Severe drought is widespread in Ford County (86 percent) and Livingston County (78 percent), marking some of the most stressed locations in the region.
Farther north, Grundy County’s coverage of moderate drought climbed to 88 percent—about a 20-point increase in a week. Will County reports 36 percent in moderate drought, 56 percent abnormally dry, and 7 percent drought-free.
Across the state line in Indiana, Newton County sits at 52 percent moderate drought, Jasper County at 37 percent, and Benton County at 5 percent, with the remainder of each county considered abnormally dry.
The report, reflecting data through Tuesday, notes that light rainfall offered only short-lived relief. Subsoil moisture remains well below typical late-October levels, underscoring the persistence of the region’s deepening dry spell.
Leave a Comment