By KEVIN BESSLER 

Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) — Illinois’ unpredictable weather is throwing a curveball to the state’s farmers.

Some areas of the state are significantly behind in rainfall and early indications are that the conditions will persist this summer.

“It has just been super dry from Springfield and Peoria up to Rockford and especially over the Chicago area we have had half of our normal rain, a third of our normal rain,” said CBS Chicago meteorologist David Yeomans during an Illinois Soybean Association webinar.

According to the latest crop progress and condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly a fifth of farmers who responded said their topsoil is short of moisture.

Yeomans said a combination of factors led to an unusual weather event on May 16.

“That dry soil combined with an incredible straight-line wind gust from a thunderstorm led to a remarkable dust storm, including in the Chicago area, but I know it was even worse down on many of your farms,” said Yeomans. “This was a full blown haboob and usually happens in Saudi Arabia, or in Arizona and Texas in the U.S.”

The dust storm caused many Illinois farmers to face not only damaged or destroyed crops but having to reapply fertilizer and herbicide products to their crops.

Although the month of May was cooler than normal, Yeomans said those conditions will likely begin to change.

“Hotter than normal weather in Illinois and across our growing regions and really across the whole country,” said Yeomans. “This is for meteorological summer from the experts at the climate prediction center for June, July and August.”

There is talk that Illinois may be becoming the country’s tornado alley. As of late May, the state had 93 confirmed tornado reports. That is significantly higher than the yearly average of 54 tornadoes.