Climate Change In Illinois

Climate Change In Illinois

Hailey Schoutteet, Writer

As most people have noticed the weather is very weird recently. We have a 67 degree day on January 3rd, and just a few days later on January 9th the high was 25 degrees. This change has been noticed by the Illinois State Climatologist website. The average daily temperature in Illinois has increased by 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit and the overnight minimum temperatures have increased more than daytime maximum temperatures. There has been seasonal variation in warming. The winter and spring temperatures in Illinois have increased 2-3 degrees Fahrenheit, while the summer temperatures have raised little to none at all. Precipitation has increased across Illinois. Total annual precipitation has increased by 5 inches over the past 120 years. This is equivalent to a 12 to 15% increase in total annual precipitation. All seasons have gotten wetter across the state, but the majority of the increase in precipitation in southern Illinois has come in the spring (March to May), while most of the change has come in summer (June to August) precipitation in central and northern Illinois. Precipitation has also gotten more intense, as the number of 2-inch rain days in Illinois has increased by 40% since the beginning of the 20th century.

The map I have provided is a map from their website that changes the average daily temperature between 1900 to 2020 in each season by county in illinois. The units of change are in degrees Fahrenheit per decade.