CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Recent dryness in Central Illinois could be a sign of more to come. Meteorologists are asking farmers to get prepared for a potential flash drought.

That’s when dry conditions suddenly turn into an intense drought. And the combination of low rain, high temperatures, and dry heat could be deadly for plants. When this happens, the little moisture left is evaporated. But the Farm Bureau says farmers do have one advantage with modern seeds.

“There have been incredible advances in genetics that are in these seed hybrids so there is a thought more drought tolerance built in that gives it some buffer in terms of the need for moisture,” said Bailey Conrady, Champaign County Farmer Bureau Manager.

But she says these advances are not the end all be all. And a drought right now would significantly impact fall’s harvest.

Experts say an irrigation system would help. But farmers without one are at the mercy of mother nature.