By AP/KWMU
Peoria, Ill – Weather officials say a dry October has raised fears a drought gripping the northern third of Illinois could linger.
Statewide, October's 1.2 inches of rain was nearly 60 percent short of normal.
Illinois' nearly 19.7 inches of rain since March is more than 9.5 inches below normal, making it the fourth-driest March through October on record.
Weather officials had hoped the drought might be easing after September yielded the first wetter-than-usual month since last winter.
Now, they're hoping for at least normal winter rain and snow to keep falling lake and river levels from dropping further. But weather officials say forecasts offer no signal of whether rainfall will be above or below normal through February.