DeKalb’s worse drought in 96 years will come to an end Sunday when summer departs.

DeKalb is included in climate division two, which extends from DeKalb to Lake Michigan and down through LaSalle County.

In 1988, which was another exceptionally dry summer, the dry conditions were more extreme earlier in the summer and then they more or less returned to normal, said Jim Angel, regional climatologist for the Midwestern Climate Center at the Illinois Water Survey.

The amount of precipitation in June, July and August of 1991 was four inches less than in those months of 1988, and eight inches less than the normal average, Angel said.

The precipitation for the months of June, July and August totaled only 4.25 inches this year, which is 8.61 inches less than normal, said NIU Director of Weather Services Eric Helgeson.

According to the Palmer Drought Index, which measures the severity of droughts, we suffered an extreme drought, Helgeson said.

Even with these drastic conditions lasting all summer, the city of DeKalb did not suffer. DeKalb does not enforce water restrictions like other towns might, said Gerald Bever, city of DeKalb water supervisor.

Bever said the amount of water storage space they have is adequate for the population. “DeKalb is fortunate enough to supply and meet the needs of the community during a dry spell,” Bever said.