Autumn 2021 Climate Recap

Autumn (September through November) 2021 Precipitation Highlights:

Autumn produced above normal precipitation across much of central Illinois, with below average precipitation in southeastern Illinois. The above normal precipitation was the result of a very wet October, which was the 2nd wettest on record in Peoria, the 4th wettest in Lincoln, and the 9th wettest in Springfield. Both September and November were drier than normal across much of the area, with the exception being some areas in eastern Illinois that had a wet September. Seasonal rainfall totals of 10-12" were common across central Illinois, which was 1-2" above normal. Areas in southeastern Illinois experienced seasonal rainfall deficits of 1-3".
All stations recorded only a trace or no snowfall during Autumn 2021, which was 0.5-1.5" below normal.

Autumn 2021 Temperature Highlights:

All of central Illinois experienced above average temperatures during Autumn 2021. Temperatures were generally 2-4 degrees above normal in September and 4-8 degrees above normal in October. Temperatures cooled off slightly in November, with much of the area 1-2 degrees below normal. Peoria had its 5th warmest Autumn on record, which included its 10th warmest September and 5th warmest October. The above normal temperatures resulted in a longer growing season. The first freeze of the year did not occur until early November at most locations, which was two weeks later than usual.

Autumn 2021 Climate Statistics

Site	Precipitation	Departure from Normal	Snowfall	Departure from Normal	Average Temperature	Departure from Normal
Canton	11.91"	+2.56	0	-0.8"	N/A	N/A
Danville	12.38"	+1.76	T	N/A	56.6	+1.3
Decatur	11.23"	+1.53	T	-0.4"	56.7	+1.7
Effingham	10.42"	-0.53	0	N/A	N/A	N/A
Flora	7.50"	-3.74	0	N/A	58.6	+2.2
Galesburg	10.37"	+1.1	T	-1.7"	55.0	+2.6
Jacksonville	12.60"	+3.12	T	N/A	57.8	+3.1
Lincoln	9.67"	+0.07	T	-0.6"	56.4	+2.4
Morton	12.1"	+2.68	T	-0.7"	N/A	N/A
Normal	10.35"	+0.85	T	-0.8"	55.8	+2.4
Olney	9.69"	-1.71"	0	-0.5"	58.1	+2.0
Paris	11.17"	+0.95"	0	-0.6"	56.7	+3.1
Peoria	11.38"	+2.03"	T	-1.5"	57.7	+3.0
Springfield	10.16"	+1.31"	T	-1.2"	57.3	+1.5
Taylorville	8.49"	-2.32"	T	N/A	57.6	N/A
Tuscola	14.31"	+4.62"	T	-0.9"	59.7	+5.2
Urbana	11.81"	+1.88"	T	-0.9"	56.6	+2.2

Links below are the seasonal climate summaries for area cities. Only the summaries for Peoria, Springfield and Lincoln are considered "official", meaning they are the station of record for their respective locations. The other summaries are "supplemental", meaning another location in the area is the official climate station for that city.

Peoria -- Peoria International Airport
Springfield -- Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport
Lincoln -- National Weather Service Office
Champaign -- University of Illinois-Willard Airport
Decatur -- Decatur Airport
Lawrenceville -- Lawrenceville-Vincennes International Airport
Mattoon -- Coles County Memorial Airport

Climate data for other area cities is available at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=ilx

The webpage summaries for each month of Autumn 2021 can be found at the links below:

Records

The following are daily, monthly, or seasonal records that occurred during Autumn 2021:

Peoria
- Tied for 5th warmest Autumn with an average temperature of 57.6 degrees.
- 10th warmest September with an average temperature of 71.3 degrees.
- Tied for 5th warmest October with an average temperature of 60.3 degrees.
- 2nd wettest October with 9.68" of precipitation.
- Oct 10th: Record warm low temperature (69 F)
- Oct 24th: Daily record precipitation (3.98")
Springfield
- 9th wettest October with 5.81" of precipitation.
- Sep 4th: Daily record precipitation (2.36")
- Sep 27th: Record high temperature (91 F)
- Oct 24th: Daily record precipitation (2.14")
Lincoln
- 4th wettest October with 6.74" of precipitation.
- Oct 10th: Record warm low temperature (68 F)
- Oct 24th: Daily record precipitation (2.57")

Winter Look Ahead:

Official Winter (December 2021 to February 2022) outlooks from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center favor above normal precipitation and above normal temperatures across all of Illinois.