Cold/Wind Chill, Jefferson
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 5, 1996
The most severe cold snap of the 1995-96 winter season caused many problems with burst pipes and overworked furnaces. Calls to one heating system specialist were up 30 to 40 percent.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 19 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
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 19
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 PAH wrote it up.
The most severe cold snap of the 1995-96 winter season caused many problems with burst pipes and overworked furnaces. Calls to one heating system specialist were up 30 to 40 percent. Central Illinois Public Service Co. broke its winter electric peak record. Residents of Pinckneyville were asked to conserve natural gas due to dwindling supplies. The shortage was partly the result of gas wells that were freezing up. The overflow valve on the water tower in DeSoto froze up, causing thousands of gallons of water to escape from the top. Many cities dealt with water main breaks as the cold weather put stress on the pipes. Wind chills were occasionally as low as minus 40 degrees. Actual daytime highs on the third were in the single digits, with overnight lows from minus 6 to minus 11. The extreme cold significantly damaged the peach crop, which is vulnerable to severe winter cold snaps.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
19 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Wayne
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Edwards
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Edwards forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Wabash
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wabash forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Perry
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Franklin
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Hamilton
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, White
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- White forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Jackson
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Williamson
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Williamson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Saline
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Saline forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Gallatin
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Gallatin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Union
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Johnson
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Pope
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Hardin
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hardin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Alexander
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Pulaski
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Massac
- When
- February 2, 1:00 AM CST to February 5, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Massac forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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 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
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: 5542877, 5542878, 5542879, 5542880, 5542881, 5542882, 5542883, 5542884, 5542885, 5542886, 5542887, 5542888, 5542889, 5542890, 5542891, 5542892, 5542893, 5542894, 5542895.