East-central Illinois has entered the new year under its most severe drought conditions in more than a decade, with extreme drought now affecting portions of Champaign, Piatt, and Douglas counties for the first time since 2012, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor released January 15.
More than 5% of Illinois is now experiencing D3 extreme drought, marking a sharp escalation from the final report of 2025. Over 14% of the state faces D2 severe drought conditions, while more than half of Illinois, over 50%, is mired in D1 moderate drought. Just 2% of the state remains free of moisture stress, a dramatic reversal from early 2025 when more than half of Illinois showed no drought conditions.
The deterioration represents one of the most significant year-over-year changes in Illinois drought history. At the beginning of 2025, the most intense drought classification was D1 moderate drought, impacting less than 15% of the state. Now, 98% of Illinois experiences some level of moisture deficit.
The drought’s epicenter sits squarely in east-central Illinois, where Champaign, Piatt, and Douglas counties are experiencing the worst conditions. The National Weather Service Lincoln office confirmed that D3 extreme drought now covers portions of all three counties, along with parts of Moultrie, Coles, Edgar, and Vermilion counties.
The designation of extreme drought for the region matches conditions last seen during the historic 2012 drought, which devastated crop yields and depleted water supplies across the state.
The current drought crisis stems from a remarkably dry 2025 that will be remembered as one of the driest years in Illinois history. Statewide average total precipitation in 2025 reached just 32.94 inches—7.8 inches below normal and the 23rd driest year on record for Illinois.
East-central Illinois experienced even more extreme conditions. Champaign County recorded its second driest year on record, with Champaign-Urbana receiving only 24.45 inches of precipitation—the driest since 1894 and 7 inches below normal for the year-to-date period. Some observers in Savoy and White Heath in Champaign and Piatt counties measured less than 22 inches of precipitation for the entire year.
The precipitation deficit intensified dramatically in the second half of 2025. August and September combined produced only 3.1 inches of rainfall statewide—less than 50% of normal and the third driest August-September period on record. For much of central Illinois, every month except July came in drier than normal, with some areas going seven to nine weeks without measurable rainfall.
By year’s end, parts of east-central Illinois were 10 to 13 inches drier than normal for calendar year 2025, while much of central and northern Illinois experienced 8 to 15 inches less precipitation than normal for the 2024-25 water year.
The persistent drought has pushed multiple water systems in central Illinois to implement conservation measures. Lake Decatur, which supplies water to the city of Decatur, stood four feet below normal levels as of mid-January 2026, prompting the city to request voluntary water conservation.
Bloomington has also requested voluntary water conservation after Lakes Bloomington and Evergreen dropped more than eight feet below adequate levels combined—with Lake Bloomington about five feet below the spillway and Evergreen Lake three feet below the dam. The city pumps approximately 9.5 million gallons of water daily from the two lakes.
Sullivan joined these communities in mid-January, asking residents and businesses to limit non-essential water use as the city’s wells struggled to keep up with demand.
The drought’s impact extends beyond reservoirs to river systems throughout the region. Near-record low flow conditions have affected multiple Illinois rivers, including the Sangamon and Vermilion rivers in east-central Illinois.
Water table levels have dropped precipitously across the region. The State Water Survey’s WARM station in Peoria recorded a five-foot drop in water table levels between July 1 and September 1, 2025. Soil moisture measurements at the Illinois Climate Network station in Brownstown showed 4-inch and 8-inch depth readings declining well below the wilting point and into severe drought territory.
Despite significant snowfall in parts of central Illinois in late November, precipitation totals remained well below what’s needed to break the drought. Parts of central Illinois received over 400% of normal December snowfall, with Fisher recording 15.5 inches and Bloomington measuring 12.8 inches.
However, snow’s low water content limited its drought-mitigating impact. One inch of snowfall typically yields only 0.05 to 0.10 inches of liquid water equivalent, meaning even the highest snowfall totals translated to just 1 to 2 inches of liquid precipitation.
The preliminary statewide average December precipitation was 1.50 inches—0.93 inches below the 1991-2020 average and the 29th driest December on record. Southern Illinois was particularly hard hit, with most of the southern half of the state receiving 1 to 3 inches less precipitation than normal. Morrisonville recorded its driest December on record dating back to 1948, with only 0.60 inches.
The current drought marks the fourth consecutive year that Illinois has fallen into drought conditions during late summer and fall. Each of the last five months of 2025 were at least 0.75 inches drier than normal statewide.
