By WMBD TV
Peoria, Ill. (WMBD) — Spring of 2026 was off to a wet and stormy start with more than 12 inches of rain received in Peoria since March. That pattern that brought us repeated rounds of severe weather and pulled central Illinois out of drought appears to have come to an end and a drier weather pattern is emerging through the start of June, thanks to an Omega Blocking pattern developing over North America.
What is an omega block?
An Omega block is a type of high pressure blocking pattern that causes the jet stream to take the shape of the Greek letter Omega. In this case, a sprawling area of high pressure will build across the Canadian prairies with areas of low pressure to the west and east of the high. This will result in seasonably warm conditions with highs in the lower 80s, but also a prolonged period of dry weather as dry air from Canada is reinforced over central Illinois.
The rain we picked up earlier this Spring was much needed and pulled central Illinois out of drought, but the onset of a drier weather pattern as the summer heat returns could start to result drought conditions developing and expanding in the next few weeks. The rainfall outlook for the next week shows that much needed rain will fall across the southern U.S. with little to no rain in central Illinois.
The latest drought monitor released on Thursday, May 21st shows abnormally dry conditions are in place for many areas north of I-74. Given that we’ve had little to no rain in the past week and our soil moisture remains well below average, it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw conditions worsen through the first few weeks of June.
WMBD TV first reported this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.
