No April showers, no May showers: Chicago experiencing moderate drought
There was a background hum at the Gethsemane Garden Center on Monday of misting sprays, bubbles in a fountain and a showering hose. Water at the Edgewater garden center isn’t in short supply but recently, employees have been working their system overtime.
Chicago is experiencing near-record dryness, much to the concern of those who garden, manage landscapes or prefer their yards green than brown. It was the fourth-driest May ever in Chicago.
“‘April showers bring May flowers?’ Well, we didn’t have April showers or May showers so I’m actually surprised there’s flowers even going right now,” said Holly Larson, a horticulturist at Gethsemane Garden Center.
Most of central and northeastern Illinois is in the middle of a moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
At the O’Hare International Airport weather station — a good indicator for the conditions across Chicagoland — only 1.64 inches of rain has been recorded since May 1. Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford said that’s about 3 to 4 inches below average.
And at Midway Airport, it’s even drier. As of Monday, only 0.6 inches of rain has been recorded. This is the driest it’s been since records began in 1928, Ford said.
This comes after a dry April: Preliminary statewide average total April precipitation was 2.75 inches, 1.49 inches below the 1991—2020 average and 37th driest on record statewide, according to Ford.
Despite the numbers, Ford said a drought at this time of the year, with cooler temperatures compared to July, could avoid the worst.
“The one benefit of the timing of this drought is that impacts are minimized this time of the year versus if this would have taken hold in July,” Ford said.
If Illinois experiences average rainfall levels through the rest of June, Ford said “things will probably be OK.”
Larson said in recent weeks many Gethsemane Garden Center customers have asked why their trees and shrubs are dying, even ones that have been in the ground for a few years.
“It’s because of the rain,” Larson said. “The ground is so dry right now that the little bit of rain that we had (Sunday) didn’t do anything because it just kind of sat on the top of the soil.”
For everyone who’s watering their trees and plants more, Larson advised them to “water slow and water low down by the root.” Adding mulch, which retains water, could also help trees. Larson said the key is to layer it so the base of the trunk is still visible.
A common complaint right now is how lawns are turning yellow or brown, said Jenna Rodriguez, a horticulturist at Fiore Nursery & Landscaping Supply in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
“Some people are like, ‘Well, maybe I should have fertilizer,’ but that’s not a good idea,” she said. “Because with the drought, it’s like no, you just kind of have to go with the natural process.”
Aside from what customers are noticing, Rodriguez said the nursery has never spent this much money on irrigation and watering. This season is noticeably different from the past few years, she said.
Julia Wolf, Chicago resident, lives along the lakefront on the North Side where she maintains a garden. She said she usually leaves the grass and some of the trees as-is. But the grass has been dying and she can’t keep the same routine.
“In the years past, I would just kind of spot water the plants I know are a little more thirsty,” Wolf said. “But lately, I set up a whole system just to try and get the roots to go deeper.”
As for whether droughts like the current one will become more common in the future, Ford said the scientific evidence is complicated.
Spring seasons are predicted to get wetter in the future but it’s unclear how warmer temperatures could affect short-term droughts, he said. Warmer temperatures could increase or decrease rainfall.
“So, overall there isn’t substantial evidence that suggests there is a strong climate change component to this event or future spring droughts in Chicago,” Ford said.
Scattered showers are expected to hit Chicagoland in waves later Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasts predict between a third of an inch to half an inch of rain.
That may help in the short term, but it will “absolutely not” end the drought, said NWS meteorologist Casey Sullivan.
“It took a long time for the dry conditions to develop. And it’s gonna take a long time for those dry conditions to subside,” Sullivan said.
The forecast beyond Tuesday shows “very small chances of precipitation” ahead, and whatever rain falls Monday and Tuesday could be isolated, he added.
Drought conditions can be reported to the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Chicago Tribune’s Jake Sheridan contributed.
