![]() The second local feature is the urban climate found in many cities. This change in elevation is enough to increase annual precipitation by about 10 to 15 percent. The Shawnee Hills extend across southern Illinois and have elevations 500 to 900 feet higher than the surrounding terrain. Topography, urban areas, and Lake Michigan are the three local influences with effects on Illinois climate. The settled weather associated with high pressure systems is generally ended every few days by the passage of low-pressure systems. The polar jet stream often is located near or over Illinois, especially in fall, winter, and spring, and is the focal point for the creation and movement of low-pressure storm systems characterized by clouds, winds, and precipitation. Weather systems, the second major factor affecting the state’s climate, create the wide variety of weather conditions that occur almost daily as a result of varying air masses and passing storm systems. Solar energy is three to four times greater in early summer than in early winter at Illinois’ mid-latitude location which results in warm summers and cold winters when combined with the state’s inland location. The sun, primary energy source for virtually all weather phenomena, in large part determines air temperatures and seasonal variations. The effects of topography, Lake Michigan, and urban areas are of lesser significance because they influence local climate conditions, rather than conditions statewide. Two major controls are latitude (reflecting the amount of solar input) and weather systems (air masses and cyclonic storms). Climatic controlsįive factors control the continental climate of Illinois: 1) the sun, 2) weather systems, 3) topography, 4) urban areas, and 5) Lake Michigan. Over a 45-year period (1955-1999), Illinois had $5.195 billion in flood losses 74% of these losses have occurred since 1985. Within Illinois and the Midwest, flood losses have been increasing at a greater rate than elsewhere in the nation. Flood losses in Illinois, $257 million annually since 1983, are the third highest in the nation. Ever-increasing heavy precipitation since the 1940s has led to increased flood peaks on Illinois rivers. Annually, 74 deaths are attributed to heat, and 18 deaths are attributed to cold, far exceeding deaths due to tornadoes, lightning, and floods.įlooding is the single most damaging weather hazard in Illinois. That heat wave and another one in 1999 caused major power outages in the Chicago metropolitan area. ![]() The 1995 heat wave, the deadliest on record, led to 753 Illinois deaths. Illinois experienced two of its most deadly heat waves during the 1990s. Heat and cold waves are other climate hazards associated with high death tolls. Each year, 20 to 30 deaths in Illinois are attributed to floods, winter storms, tornadoes, and lightning. Temperature extremes and storms are responsible for deaths and health problems. Home sales also increased during this period.Ĭlimate conditions have effects on human health and safety. For example, Illinois retailers received an estimated $0.9 billion in additional revenue after shoppers took advantage of the unusually warm winter weather resulting from the 1997-1998 El Niño. However, many Illinois businesses sometimes profit from climate extremes. Each form of transportation is influenced weather and climate extremes, and resulting delays in shipments are also a major problem for manufacturers in Illinois. With both the nation’s busiest airport (O’Hare) and the rail hub of the nation at Chicago, Illinois also is the heart of the nation’s trucking industry. Illinois serves as the nation’s center for air and surface transportation. Crop yields are dependent upon climate conditions because irrigation generally is not used. Major businesses in Illinois are highly climate sensitive. ![]() Many consider the more moderate temperatures of spring and fall to be the most pleasant. Illinois’ climate is typically continental with cold winters, warm summers, and frequent short fluctuations in temperature, humidity, cloudiness, and wind direction. Illinois lies midway between the Continental Divide and the Atlantic Ocean, and the state’s southern tip is 500 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.
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