Cold/Wind Chill, Winnebago
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Winnebago forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.336, -89.161 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 4, 1996
A bitter cold arctic air mass moved into northern Illinois Thursday night February 1. Temperatures didn't moderate until the afternoon of Sunday February 4.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 16 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 18
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.
A bitter cold arctic air mass moved into northern Illinois Thursday night February 1. Temperatures didn't moderate until the afternoon of Sunday February 4. The coldest temperatures occurred Saturday February 3. In Chicago, the temperature remained below zero for 67 consecutive hours. Several temperature records were set. At Chicago; February 2 lowest minimum -16 and lowest maximum -5, February 3 lowest minimum -19 and lowest maximum -5, February 4 lowest minimum -14. At Rockford; February 2 lowest maximum -13, February 3 lowest minimum -24 and lowest maximum -12, February 4 lowest minimum -19 and lowest maximum -2. The coldest temperature reported was -33 at Paw Paw on the 3rd. The cold weather resulted in frozen water pipes and numerous fires caused by space heaters and open flames in buildings. At least 3 deaths were attributed to the cold. A Chicago man was found dead in his home with no heat. An unknown man was found dead in a boxcar in Chicago. A Kankakee man was found in the cold outside his home. He later died at a hospital.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
18 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Boone
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Boone forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.323, -88.823 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, McHenry
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- McHenry forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.324, -88.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Lake
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lake forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.349, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Ogle
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ogle forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.043, -89.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Lee
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.746, -89.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, De Kalb
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- De Kalb forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.894, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Kane
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kane forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.939, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Du Page
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Du Page forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.852, -88.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Cook
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cook forecast zone
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
Cold/Wind Chill, La Salle
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- La Salle forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.344, -88.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Kendall
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kendall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.591, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Grundy
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Grundy forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.285, -88.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Will
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Will forecast zone
Cold/Wind Chill, Kankakee
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kankakee forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 41.138, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Livingston
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Livingston forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.892, -88.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Iroquois
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Iroquois forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.747, -87.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Ford
- When
- February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ford forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.597, -88.223 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold/Wind Chill, Cook | 1996-02-01 | 78 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Cold/Wind Chill, Cook | 1996-02-01 | Male | Other | Direct | |
| Cold/Wind Chill, Kankakee | 1996-02-03 | 63 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
What these are
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Louisiana, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Tennessee, February 2 to 3, 1996
- Cold in Ohio, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Mississippi, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Tornado in Florida, February 2, 1996
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 2, 1996
- Tornado in Florida, February 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Virginia, February 2 to 3, 1996
- Flash Flood in Alabama, February 2, 1996
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 2, 1996
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, February 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5542426, 5542427, 5542428, 5542429, 5542430, 5542431, 5542432, 5542433, 5542434, 5542435, 5542436, 5542437, 5542438, 5542439, 5542440, 5542441, 5542442, 5542443.