Most of central Illinois has seen dry weather since late June, although locations east of I-57 have averaged above normal. The top image below shows the percentage of normal rainfall during the previous 60 days as of August 16. Areas in orange shades indicate less than 75% of normal, with the darker orange near Springfield and in west central Illinois indicative of rainfall less than 50% of normal. As a result, a large area has been classified as "Abnormally Dry" on the August 13 issuance of the U.S. Drought Monitor (or "D0" on the drought scale of 0 to 4). The D0 category basically indicates a period of short-term dryness which can slow the growth of crops and pastures. At the present time, the long range outlook for the fall is favoring above normal rainfall in Illinois, so development of drought conditions are not anticipated.