The lack of rain over the past month has caused an increase in the appearance of yellow-brown grass and fallen branches across campus and DeKalb.

The amount of rainfall we’ve gotten this year varies across the area, said Gilbert Sebenste, NIU’s staff meteorologist. He said the DeKalb area is roughly 9 inches below average for the year.

DeKalb is going through what is classified as a “moderate to severe drought,” Sebenste said. If it continues, farmers will have problems going into winter and spring because this is the second consecutive autumn that has been dry.

“There are two parts to a drought, it’s not just lack of rainfall, but also the timing,” said Lyle Paul, University of Illinois agronomist. “The dryness that is taking place now goes back to last fall. Corn and soybean farmers are taking extra precautions because they are 92 percent of DeKalb’s acres. They are starting to harvest corn sooner than normal because the stalk quality is deteriorating due to dry weather,” he added.

Additional problems come in for farmers because they can’t water whole fields and can’t afford to buy irrigation equipment, Paul said.

Trees are also feeling the effect of the rain.

Roger Newman, DeKalb’s crew leader and arborist, said the effects of the drought depend on each individual tree. Bigger trees, Newman said, are the ones that are going to suffer the most.

The affect on the trees has NIU’s grounds department working harder.

“We just water every day and pray for rain,” said William Heal, the acting grounds gardner. “We pay more attention to the central part of campus and try to keep the flowers around Lowden Hall looking really good,” he added.

Heal said he thinks the long-term effects of the drought on campus will be in the trees and the shrubs. “Some of them will be affected and some will be lost,” he said.

“In time, if we don’t get enough rain or snow cover come winter, next spring is going to be hard,” Newman said.