#39. Illinois

%2339.+Illinois

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– Share of state experiencing drought conditions (20-year average): 13,166 sq. mi. (23.4% of land area); 2,661,221 people (20.7% of population)

— Moderate drought: 6,103 sq. mi. (10.8% of land area); 1,357,777 people (10.6% of population)

— Severe drought: 2,272 sq. mi. (4.0% of land area); 555,270 people (4.3% of population)

— Extreme drought: 695 sq. mi. (1.2% of land area); 172,089 people (1.3% of population)

— Exceptional drought: 25 sq. mi.; 1,304 people

More than 25% of Illinois is facing a dearth of precipitation, but conditions are nothing compared to two periods in the oughts. The state’s most significant drought of the 21st century lasted from May 2005 to May 2006 and during the last week of July 2012, nearly 9% of Illinois was suffering from exceptional drought conditions.