In recent days, the Champaign-Urbana area has experienced a wide range of weather conditions.

“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 moment’s notice, and you never know what to expect.”

The weather has helped Illinois live up to its name of having an “inconsistent climate,” said Jim Angel, state climatologist at the Illinois State Water Survey.

Angel said Illinois’ average temperature for spring was 55.3 degrees, 3.3 degrees above normal and the fourth warmest spring on record. But he said this did not mean summer would also be warm. He believes this summer will actually 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.”

The latest National Weather Service outlook for this summer predicts below average temperatures across Illinois. It is unsure how much precipitation Illinois will get, although lately the state has been receiving more than usual, Angel said.

Storms last weekend hit the area hard, causing the Taste of Champaign-Urbana to close early Saturday and Sunday.

The storms have caused worries about flash floods and lightning, said David Kristovich, the head at the Center for Atmospheric Sciences at the Illinois State Water Survey.

“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.

Indeed, a motorist in Champaign on Monday would have seen several cars floating through underpasses along Neil Street and stuck in other flooded streets. For a short time, many of the streets on campus were underwater.

Monday’s storms caused several power outages in the Champaign County. According to the Ameren website, as of 5:10 p.m. Monday, 733 people were without power. However by 8 p.m. only around 50 people were still without power.

Monday afternoon also brought a severe thunderstorm watch, flash flood warning and flood advisory by the National Weather Service.

Kristovich said the storms seem to be sticking around for the summer, and that there could also be a possibility of tornadoes.

Halliday advised all students to be careful and follow basic weather safety guidelines.

“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.”