Drought conditions continue to worsen across the metro area.

In Illinois: the entire Chicago area is now in moderate drought. The area of moderate drought increased by 178% across the state compared to just a week ago. The area of severe drought is now 1.5 times more than a week ago.

In Indiana: The area of moderate drought grew from 44% last week to 52% this week while the area of severe drought increased from 11% to 14%.

Source: USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)

October precipitation update: Through Thursday, only 12% of normal to date officially at O’Hare and the driest start to October in 6 decades!

Not a drought buster, but many areas will see beneficial rainfall overnight that spills over into Friday morning before ending by lunchtime

Officially in Chicago, a tally of 0.50″ or more, which appears a good bet, would make this the heaviest rainfall in over a month—since 0.80″ fell on September 22nd.

Model simulation of how precipitation may play out across the area:

Potential rainfall totals

HRRR—High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model

IBM-GRAF—Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.