Virtually the entire state of Illinois is experiencing at least a moderate drought. More than 75% of the state is in an extreme drought and just under 8% in an exceptional drought. Remnants from Isaac could soon bring us some relief. This wouldn't be the first time a tropical storm brought much needed rain to the region during times of drought. Illinois Climatologist Jim Angel wrote recently in his blog about four such systems that brought welcome rains in 2005, another year that Illinois experienced a severe drought. Remnants of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Dennis and tropical Storm Arlene all brought relief that year.
The "spaghetti model" plot of various model solutions (seen above) for the path of Isaac shows the majority of them sweeping the remnants across at least a portion of Illinois. The 5-day precipitation total map from the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center shows several inches of rain possible in southwestern Illinois.
It appears the earliest the remnants of Isaac could get here is Friday night. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are more likely on Saturday. Stay tuned....
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