Illinois, 2005

Drought in Illinois, October 1 to 31, 2005

October 1 to 31, 2005 · NWS LOT · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

Although the growing season ended, drought conditions continued through October 2005 with many locations receiving less than one inch of rainfall for the entire month. Low water levels continued on streams and rivers across northern Illinois.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
15

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 LOT wrote it up.

Although the growing season ended, drought conditions continued through October 2005 with many locations receiving less than one inch of rainfall for the entire month. Low water levels continued on streams and rivers across northern Illinois. Marengo in McHenry County received only 0.19 inches of rain; Polo in Ogle County, 0.23 inches; Rockford Airport, 0.24 inches; Joliet in Will County, 0.25 inches; Amboy in Lee County, 0.27 inches; Belvidere in Boone County, 0.34 inches; Newark in Kendall County, 0.34 inches; Mendota in LaSalle County, 0.41 inches; Aurora in Kane County, 0.44 inches; Antioch in Lake County, 0.53 inches. Chicago Ohare Airport received 1.39 inches, 0.94 inches of which fell on October 2nd.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 30, 6:00 PM CST, 6 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 30, 6:00 PM CST, 6 hours before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Boone

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Boone forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
42.323, -88.823 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cook

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Cook forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA

Drought, De Kalb

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
De Kalb forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
41.894, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Du Page

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Du Page forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
41.852, -88.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Grundy

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Grundy forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
41.285, -88.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Kane

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Kane forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
41.939, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Kendall

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Kendall forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
41.591, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, La Salle

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
La Salle forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
41.344, -88.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lake

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
42.349, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lee

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lee forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
41.746, -89.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Livingston

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Livingston forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
40.892, -88.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, McHenry

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
McHenry forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
42.324, -88.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Ogle

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Ogle forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
42.043, -89.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Will

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Will forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA

Drought, Winnebago

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Winnebago forecast zone
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
42.336, -89.161 (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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, October 2005

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5476659, 5476660, 5476661, 5476662, 5476663, 5476664, 5476665, 5476666, 5476667, 5476668, 5476669, 5476670, 5476671, 5476672, 5476673.