Tagged: Jim Angel

Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel says the current drought conditions have been slowly developing since the start of the calendar year.

"Every month, this year, has been below normal on precipitation and above normal on temperatures," says Angel.  "You get that combination going and we were drying out in March, which is normally the 'budding' month."

Angel says the situation was not helped by a dry winter, which depleted some soil moisture, and less rain last summer and fall.

He says the drought is also feeding on itself. 

The US Department of Agriculture is confirming what gardeners in Illinois already knew: it has become warmer in the state during recent years.  

The change can be seen in the USDA's plant hardiness map that appears on the back of packages for seeds and plants. 

State climatologist Jim Angel said the previous map was based on a much colder period in Illinois history.

“Since then we've had some milder winters in the 1990s and the early 2000s, and that's reflected in the new map,” Angel said.