By Nick Gale, WLS-AM News
(CHICAGO) It’s been a wet summer – the wettest on record and that may hamper some Labor Day plans.
We’ve seen plenty of rain in July and August making this the wettest July through August period on record in Illinois, says State Climatologist Jim Angel.
“We had a little over 15 inches for those two month combined and that’s about 5 1/2 inches above normal and it beats the old record set back in 1915,” Angel said.
And while the rain may have left your lawn looking great, it has also caused rivers across the state to rise. In particular, the Illinois River has spilled its banks at Starved Rock State Park in the Utica area. That has limited the number of parking spots and officials say it will be first come first parked this weekend with plans to possibly close the park when existing parking is taken up.
Some trails could also be affected by flooding at Matthiessen State Park as well.
Angel says the wet weather was seen across the state except in parts of Lake and McHenry counties where he says rain totals were about average for the summer.
@ 2016 WLS-AM News
