Belleville has a rainy week forecast. Will it be enough to clear the drought?
The metro-east and southern Illinois region is experiencing drought conditions ranging from “abnormally dry” to “severe drought,” but several days of rain are expected this week.
The National Weather Service forecasts showers in Belleville Tuesday through Saturday, with about 2.5 inches of rain expected to fall between 6 p.m. Tuesday and midnight Sunday, Lydia Jaja, meteorologist with the St. Louis office, told the News-Democrat Tuesday.
There’s also a chance for thunderstorms throughout the week, but as of Tuesday, none are expected to become severe in the metro-east.
St. Clair County is seeing “abnormally dry” conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, last updated Feb. 26.
“What we have forecast would likely be enough to actually take you out of the drought completely,” Jaja said.
Because the ground has been dry in the metro-east, flooding is not expected to be an issue this week, even with several days of rainfall, Jaja added.
Here’s what else to know about this week’s forecast.
Belleville’s weather forecast
Here’s what the NWS St. Louis office forecasts for Belleville this week:
- Tuesday: Temperatures from 50 to 56 degrees, with showers, patchy fog and possible thunderstorms
- Wednesday: Temperatures from 56 to 65 degrees, with showers and a possible thunderstorm
- Thursday: Temperatures from 57 to 70 degrees, with likely showers and possible thunderstorms
- Friday: Temperatures from 59 to 78 degrees, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms
- Saturday: Temperatures from 44 to 69 degrees, with showers likely and a possible thunderstorm
- Sunday: Temperatures from 50 to 68 degrees, with mostly sunny skies during the day and partly cloudy skies at night
- Monday: A high temperature around 73 degrees, with sunny skies and a 20% chance of rain
Relatively rainy conditions may continue throughout this spring in the metro-east. The Climate Prediction Center reports the region has a 33 to 40% chance of above-normal precipitation from March through May, with equal chances of above- or below-normal temperatures. A bit farther south in Illinois, there is a 33 to 40% chance of above-normal temperatures.
In a typical spring, Belleville residents can expect temperatures ranging from roughly 36 to 59 degrees in March, 46 to 70 degrees in April and 56 to 79 degrees in May.
Typical monthly precipitation totals in Belleville are 3.44 inches in March, 4.9 inches in April and 5.05 inches in May, according to NWS data from 1991 to 2020.
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