The 21st Show

‘Weather Realness’ podcast on severe drought afflicting Illinois

Produced by the Weather Realness team
 
the leaf on a cornstalk is shown turning brown and dr from drought; inset: a map showing which parts of Illinois are affected by drought — it's red over Champaign and nearb counties, orange over much of central Illinois, and tan and yellow elsewhere)

A corn plant shows signs of drought stress on Aug. 18, 2025, in Paw Paw, Mich. Corn: Joshua A. Bickel/AP / Map: U.S. Drought Monitor

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Today we’re talking about the weather, with a pair of conversations from “Weather Realness,” a sister podcast produced by Illinois Public Media.

Much of central Illinois is under severe or extreme drought.  We’ll hear from the Illinois State Climatologist about how little rain we've gotten, why that’s happening, and why it’s such a concern, for everyone from farmers to firefighters.

Guests

Trent Ford
Illinois State Climatologist, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Co-host, Weather Realness

Maddie Stover
Doctoral student, Physics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Co-host, Weather Realness

A version of this conversation was published as a Weather Realness podcast episode on Oct. 16, 2025.