Updated numbers for the Corn Flea Beetle, based on the average winter temperature during Winter 2008-09, are now posted in the pest calculator.
All ICN precipitation gauges have been replaced. Belfort weighing bucket gauges, which have been used and maintained by ISWS for monitoring and research over several decades, have been exchangedfor Pluvio II gauges made by OTT. These new high precision gauges have a capacity of 30 inches, and will require less maintenance. During the last few years of operations, the older gauges may have reported lower precipitation catches than actually fell. Both gages will remain in operation for an extended period of time to evaluate the magnitude and extent of this possibility. Precipitation totals from only the new gauges will be reported in these web pages, starting with the following dates at the respective sites:
Belleville - October 6, 2008;
Big Bend - August 7, 2008;
Bondville - July 19, 2008;
Brownstown - August 7, 2008;
Carbondale - August 6, 2008;
Champaign - July 18, 2008;
DeKalb - July 25, 2008;
Dixon Springs - October 13, 2008;
Fairfield - August 25, 2008;
Freeport - September 22, 2008;
Kilbourne - August 8, 2008;
Monmouth - September 27, 2008;
Olney - September 11, 2008;
Rend Lake - October 9, 2008;
Peoria - July 23, 2008;
Perry - September 18, 2008;
Springfield - August 4, 2008;
Stelle - July 24, 2008;
St. Charles - July 28, 2008.
USERS! Our home page has changed. Please explore at your convenience. We will continue to reconstruct various pages over the next few weeks and months. Feel free to comment on content.
A new pest, the Emerald Ash Borer, has been added to our Pest Degree Days calculator.
***** Recent analyses indicate that all archived ICN precipitation values may be in error by 10% - 20% too low. Analysis of the period-of-record data will continue until problems are identified and resolved. *****
The raingage capacity at Dixon Springs was exceeded on March 18-19. By using rainfall totals from another gage at the same site (and radar data for timing), edited totals are: March 18 - 7.61 inches and March 19 - 1.58 inches.
