In recent days, students have seen a wide range of weather conditions surround the Champaign-Urbana area.
“You will be walking down the street and it’s hot and sunny and then next thing you know there is an intense downpour,” Clark Halliday, sophomore in Engineering said. “Everything changes at a moments notice and you never know what to expect.”
Weather has been different than usual this year helping Illinois live up to its name of having an “inconsistent climate,” according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois Water Survey.
Angel said the statewide average temperature for spring in Illinois was 55.3 degrees, 3.3 degrees above normal and the fourth warmest spring on record. He said this did not mean summer would also be warm. He believes that this summer will be cooler than most, but only by a few degrees.
“I mean it’s not like we’re going to be wearing sweaters on the Fourth of July or anything,” Angel said. “But it will be a lot cooler.”
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The latest National Weather Service outlook for this summer predicts an below normal temperatures across Illinois. It is unsure how much precipitation Illinois will get, although lately it has been receiving more than usual, Angel said.
The storms have been hitting the Champaign-Urbana area, causing the Taste of Champaign to stop early two days.
It has also been causing worries about flash floods and lightning, said David Kristovich, the head for the center for atmospheric sciences at the Division of State Water Survey.
“With all the recent storms, the biggest danger is flash floods and lightning,” Kristovich said. “People should stay indoors when the storms are bad and avoid driving at all costs. It is very easy for the water to sweep up your car and wash it away.”
Kristovich said the storms seem to be sticking around for the summer and that there could also be a possibility of tornados.
He advised all students to be careful and follow safety rules.
Halliday said that the storms have been something else.
“I don’t usually get scared by storms but I feel like they have been larger then usual,” Halliday said. “It is like a new experience.”
