•October 26, 2016•

Soil temperatures in Illinois were one to two degrees above normal in mid-October, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

Soil temperatures declined during the first two weeks of October but remained above normal. Statewide temperatures at depths of four inches under bare soil declined eight degrees during that time period to an average of 57.7 degrees F on October 14. Daily highs for that day rose into the 60s for most of the state, while lows were in the 50s to mid-40s.

Temperatures under sod followed a similar trend with an average of 60.4 degrees at four inches and 60.9 degrees at eight inches October 14, 1.9 and 1.7 degrees above the long-term averages, respectively.      Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.