Several days of rain brought some relief to farmers in the nation's midsection as they contend with the worst drought in the U.S. in decades.
The rain was too late to make much of a difference for those growing corn. Most have already started harvesting. Soybean growers, however, are hoping the showers will help their crops, and ranchers are grateful for a break from hauling water for their cattle.
Much of Illinois had at least an inch of rainfall, with many areas downstate receiving four to six inches of rain.
State climatologist Jim Angel says this should help with drought conditions. Angel says since the rain came in spurts over the three-day weekend there weren't any significant problems with flooding or major runoff. According to the National Weather Service, Woodlawn received the most rain in our region with just over six inches of rain. Mt. Vernon received almost 5.5 inches, Carbondale almost five inches, Crab Orchard 4 inches and Murphysboro got about 3.5 inches in the reporting period from 7 a.m. Thursday through 7 a.m. Monday.
