Central Illinois only saw 25.5 inches of precipitation in 2012. (WJBC file photo)

By Paul Morello

BLOOMINGTON - The Drought of 2012 came close to equaling the 1988 drought, but fell just short.

WMBD 31 Chief Meteorologist Marcus Bailey said Central Illinois saw 23.5 inches of precipitation in 1988 and we've seen about 25.5 inches this year.

"For the year we're still running about 13 inches below average. We should be averaging roughly 39 inches for the entire season," he said.

Bailey said the difference between 2012 and 1988 is in the latter year, the spring was very dry but we got ten inches of snow that winter. He said last winter, we only saw about five inches of snow after a fairly dry spring.

So what is in store? Bailey thinks Central Illinois will see a fairly average winter.

"I think we'll see at least a seasonable winter where we'll get average snowfall and maybe a few rain chances mixed in here and there," he said.

However, the drought's affects could echo into the next year.

"I always preach that droughts tend to feed on themselves and because of the winter we had last year, that sets a pretty bad precedent for the rest of the year," Bailey said. "A lot of it will be based on if we can get at least average precipitation for the rest of the year. That'll play a large factor on what we can expect through next spring and summer."

Paul Morello can be reached at paul@wjbc.com.