Drought, Saline
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Saline forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought in Illinois, September 1 to 30, 1998
September, 1998 was one of the driest Septembers on record in southern Illinois. 12 inch, it was the driest September on record.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 19 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
- 19
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.
September, 1998 was one of the driest Septembers on record in southern Illinois. Across the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky, where the monthly rainfall total was only 0.12 inch, it was the driest September on record. The dry weather was costly to farmers of certain crops, especially soybeans. The drought reduced yields for soybeans and late-planted corn by 25 to 30 percent in some counties. The drought, which was classified as "mild," began in early August. The lack of rainfall late in the summer was mitigated by one of the wettest springs on record.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
19 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought, Union
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Wabash
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Wabash forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Wayne
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, White
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- White forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Williamson
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Williamson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Alexander
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Edwards
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Edwards forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Franklin
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Gallatin
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Gallatin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Hamilton
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Hardin
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Hardin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Jackson
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Jefferson
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Johnson
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Massac
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Massac forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Perry
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Pope
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Pulaski
- When
- September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.223, -89.127 (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
- Hail in Iowa, September 1, 1998
- Hurricane in Florida, September 1 to 3, 1998
- Hail in Wisconsin, September 1, 1998
- Drought in Alabama, September 1 to 30, 1998
- Drought in Tennessee, September 1 to 30, 1998
- Flash Flood and Flood in Utah, September 1, 1998
- Hurricane in Louisiana, September 1 to 2, 1998
- Drought in Texas, September 1 to 30, 1998
- Drought in Texas, September 1 to 30, 1998
- Drought in Kentucky, September 1 to 30, 1998
- Drought in Texas, September 1 to 30, 1998
- Heat in California, September 1 to 3, 1998
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, September 1998
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: 5666811, 5666812, 5666813, 5666814, 5666815, 5666816, 5668164, 5668165, 5668166, 5668167, 5668168, 5668169, 5668170, 5668171, 5668172, 5668173, 5668174, 5668175, 5668176.