Illinois, 2025

Drought in Illinois, October 1 to 19, 2025

October 1 to 19, 2025 · NWS PAH · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Drought conditions from September continued into October, with portions of Southern Illinois from Murphysboro to Fairfield remaining in D2 (Severe Drought) status until mid-month. Drought onset began with a very dry August and first half of September, with a rainy late September.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

Drought conditions from September continued into October, with portions of Southern Illinois from Murphysboro to Fairfield remaining in D2 (Severe Drought) status until mid-month. Drought onset began with a very dry August and first half of September, with a rainy late September. The first half of October was dry for this area, as heavy rain passed by to the south on October 6th. Heavy rain on October 18th, with 1-2 inches of rain in the Severe Drought region, finally improved drought conditions to D1 status in the following update. Harvest season was ongoing, resulting in limited additional agricultural impacts for Southern Illinois.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Perry

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Perry forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jefferson

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wayne

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jackson

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Franklin

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hamilton

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
38.082, -88.539 (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 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, October 2025

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1294127, 1294128, 1294129, 1294130, 1294131, 1294132.