Despite some substantial rains in parts of Illinois last week, serious drought concerns remain for Illinois.

Ed Shimon at the National Weather Service in Lincoln says the rains of last week were substantial for some areas in the west and northern portion of the state, otherwise, some areas saw minimal rainfall.

While some places are currently experiencing an easing of drought conditions thanks to last week's rains, the rest of July is looking really dry. Shimon says we'll be lucky to get an inch of rain.

Looking beyond July, Shimon says a below-normal precipitation signal remains while the western portion of the state is looking at a stronger signal for above-normal temperatures while the rest of the state is looking at equal chances of above or below normal temperatures.