Drought in Illinois, August 1 to 31, 1999

After one of the wettest Junes on record, the rest of the summer was quite dry. By the end of August, parts of Southern Illinois were in a moderate drought, according to the Palmer Drought Index. There was a wide range in drought conditions. Places close to the Ohio River bordered on severe drought, while farther northwest from Mount Vernon to Carbondale, the drought was mild. A couple of times during August, thunderstorms produced heavy rain west and north of Carbondale but dissipated before reaching the Ohio River. The effect of the drought on crops was greatest for soybeans, which rely more heavily on summer rainfall. The corn crop fared relatively well because it matured in the late spring, when abundant rains fell. The dry weather raised the fire danger into the very high category at times. During one of the larger grass fires about 10 miles northeast of Carbondale, a fire truck was destroyed by fire. Drinking water supplies were threatened in the Marion area, mainly because Marion's water supply depends on a fairly small lake. As a precautionary measure, Marion began pumping water from a lake near Herrin, but water levels in that lake dropped significantly. On the Ohio River, low water levels made navigation more hazardous for barge traffic, and voluntary load limits were put in place downriver from Paducah, KY.