Illinois is seeing slightly cooler temperatures following last week's hundred-degree days. But state climatologist Jim Angel says it appears the end of the drought is a long way off.
He says he wouldn’t be surprised if the dry conditions persisted for several more weeks.
“I really don’t expect us to start recovery of this drought until we get into the fall months, when it finally cools off and maybe we get some large-scale rains, typical fall weather patterns. Maybe then we’ll start to recover from this” Angel said.
But a fall recovery isn't always the case. Angel notes that the drought that began in 1954 lasted two-and-a-half years.
Meanwhile, Angel says July is shaping up to be Illinois’ second warmest and second driest on record.