COBDEN, Ill. — In southern Illinois, where severe drought and record temperatures have scorched corn this year, some of the sweetest peaches in memory are coming off trees throughout the region.

Harvesting of the first varieties of peaches was at least three weeks early, growers say, and they are some of the best-tasting peaches they can remember. A lack of soil moisture, though, means these early varieties – particularly the Red Havens – are a bit smaller than usual.

The state’s largest concentration of commercial orchards is located in southern Illinois, including Flamm Orchards in Cobden, Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass and Lipe Orchards in Carbondale.

“On May 28 we picked the first peach,” said Alan Flamm, whose orchard has about 200 acres of peach trees.

“It’s the first time I can ever remember starting that early.”

Wayne Sirles, vice president of Rendleman Orchards, said he believes drier conditions help peaches ripen with more of their natural sugars undiluted by additional water. “I personally think they have more of a robust, peachy flavor because of the dry weather,” he said.

Lipe Orchards co-owner Sara Lipe agreed. “They taste fabulous right now. Better than I can remember,” she reported.

Through the end of June, the region is roughly 12 inches below normal in rainfall, according to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky. A total of 1.77 inches of rain fell in the region during the entire month of June, the sixth driest June on record. The drier conditions may mean sweeter peaches now, but if conditions continue it will also mean a shorter season by several weeks. Peach season could end by early August, the earliest growers can remember.

It also could impact fruit conditions next year, particularly for apple trees, said Elizabeth Wahle, a University of Illinois extension horticulture educator.

“Definitely, with apples, when it gets hot and dry, they have a tendency to drop,” Wahle said. “I was in an orchard, and there were a lot of apples on the ground.”

And for this year’s peaches, they may be sweeter, but they’re also smaller, Flamm said. “The drought definitely affects the size. And we’ve got some varieties that are starting to drop peaches. They’re that stressed. The apples are going to do the same thing,” he said.

Illinois harvested approximately 15 million pounds of peaches last year and ranked sixth among all states.