West central Illinois is now in what is being called a moderate drought. That's despite a relatively cool and wet start to the summer.
The US Drought Monitor's latest map shows moderate drought for the western half of Sangamon County and farther west all the way into Missouri.
The state's climatologist, Jim Angel, says most droughts move slow and take 3-6 months to develop. However, sometimes they can move fast if conditions are right, leading to the term “flash drought”. This situation appears to be developing west central Illinois.
The eastern half of Sangamon county and much of central Illinois is described as "abnormally dry" according to the Drought Monitor.
