Ill., soils are cooling in the first half of Oct.

Soil temperatures have fallen 10 to 20 degrees so far in Oct., which is normal for this time of year, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey.

Soil temperatures have dropped the first half of this month as fall weather moved into the state. Temperatures at four inches under sod averaged 59 degrees on Oct. 15, or 12 degrees cooler than on Oct. 1 and equal to the long-term average. Highs reached the mid-60s with lows in the 50s.

Under bare soil, temperatures have fallen further with a 16-degree drop so far t...