As the grass is drying out and the flowers are dying, the question on every mind in Charleston is, when is it going to rain?

Dalias Price, a local weather observer, said Charleston is suffering one of the worst droughts it has seen since 1936. Coupled with the extremely hot weather that came about this summer, the dryness does not help the cooling process.

The last soaking rain the area has seen occurred June 17.

Price said this summer the area faced 42 days of above 90 degree weather, well above the average.

It hasn’t rained since Aug. 1 and even then it was only slightly over 0.5 inches, he said.

“The time will come when we will get more normal rains,” Price said.

However, he doesn’t expect that turnaround for another 10 days.

Price said there should have been three times the amount of rain this month-long period compared to the amount that the Charleston area has received since Aug. 1.

Not a good time for crops

Along with making people uncomfortable, the hot temperatures have made the local agriculture suffer. The grass is in a state of dormancy and production is down in the corn and soybean industry, which are the main cash crops for this area of Illinois.

Price says the dry weather has been tough on farmers who make their living selling those crops.

He said there will be a break in the hot temperatures beginning in the middle of next week with temperatures reaching the lower 80’s with high humidity. After that, the area could enjoy a cooling rain, restoring the land and cooling off the people of central Illinois.