Drought, Union
- When
- August 15, 2:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought in Illinois, August 15 to 31, 1996
The drought severity index indicated extreme drought conditions over parts of southern Illinois the last week of August. 11 inches of rain fell at Paducah during the month.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.
The drought severity index indicated extreme drought conditions over parts of southern Illinois the last week of August. Only 0.11 inches of rain fell at Paducah during the month. This was the second driest month since 1962 at Paducah, and it was the driest August on record. River levels dropped well below normal, but no serious navigation problems were reported.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought, Johnson
- When
- August 15, 2:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Pope
- When
- August 15, 2:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Hardin
- When
- August 15, 2:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hardin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Alexander
- When
- August 15, 2:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Pulaski
- When
- August 15, 2:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Massac
- When
- August 15, 2:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Massac forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Drought
- A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heat in California, August 15, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, August 15, 1996
- Flash Flood in Nebraska, August 15, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Ohio, August 15, 1996
- Hail in Wyoming, August 15, 1996
- Hail in Nebraska, August 15, 1996
- Drought in Kentucky, August 15 to 31, 1996
- Lightning Strike in West Virginia, August 15, 1996
- Damaging Wind in New York, August 15, 1996
- Drought in Missouri, August 15 to 31, 1996
- Damaging Wind in New York, August 15, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Puerto Rico, August 15 to 16, 1996
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, August 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5568165, 5568166, 5568167, 5568168, 5568169, 5568170, 5568171.