Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 4, 1996

Name: Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 4, 1996
Start: 1996-02-02T00:00
End: 1996-02-04T23:59
Location: Illinois

February 2 to 4, 1996 · NWS ILX · 35 events in 35 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 35 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 2
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 35

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 ILX wrote it up.

Bitterly cold weather took hold of Central Illinois on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of this month. New record low temperatures were made with a low of minus 19 in both Peoria and Springfield on February 3rd. Also, new record low high temperatures were made when the temperatures at Peoria and Springfield never went above zero on the 2nd and 3rd. Many people experienced problems with cars and frozen pipes. However, two deaths were reported due to the extreme cold. A 78 year old man in Springfield froze to death within a few feet of his own front door. He reportedly could not find his house keys and fell. His wife could not help him and they were not found for several hours. She was treated for exposure and released. In Peoria, a 79-year-old woman froze to death on her front porch. Apparently she mistakenly thought she was locked out of her home.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

35 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Knox

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.932, -90.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Stark

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Stark forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.093, -89.797 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Peoria

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Peoria forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Marshall

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.033, -89.345 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Woodford

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Woodford forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.211 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Fulton

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Fulton forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.473, -90.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Tazewell

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Tazewell forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, McLean

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: McLean forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.491, -88.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Schuyler

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Schuyler forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.158, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Mason

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Mason forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.240, -89.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Logan

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.125, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, De Witt

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: De Witt forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.175, -88.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Piatt

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Piatt forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.010, -88.591 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Champaign

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Champaign forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.140, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Vermilion

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Vermilion forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.183, -87.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cass

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.974, -90.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Menard

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Menard forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.027, -89.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Scott

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Scott forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.644, -90.475 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Morgan

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Morgan forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.716, -90.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sangamon

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Sangamon forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Christian

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Christian forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.546, -89.277 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Macon

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Macon forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.860, -88.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Moultrie

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Moultrie forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.642, -88.619 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Douglas

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.770, -88.217 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Coles

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Coles forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.520, -88.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Edgar

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Edgar forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.679, -87.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Shelby

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Shelby forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.391, -88.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cumberland

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Cumberland forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.273, -88.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Clark

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Clark forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.334, -87.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Effingham

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Effingham forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.060, -88.590 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Jasper

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jasper forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.010, -88.154 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Crawford

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.003, -87.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Clay

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.754, -88.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Richland

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.712, -88.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Lawrence

When: February 2, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lawrence forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.720, -87.727 (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, Peoria	1996-02-02	79	Female	Permanent Home	Direct
Cold/Wind Chill, Sangamon	1996-02-03	78	Male	Permanent Home	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

Every storm in Illinois in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5539573, 5539574, 5539575, 5539576, 5539577, 5539578, 5539579, 5539580, 5539581, 5539582, 5539782, 5539783, 5539784, 5539785, 5539786, 5539787, 5539788, 5539789, 5539790, 5539791, 5539792, 5539793, 5539794, 5539795, 5539796, 5539797, 5539798, 5539799, 5539800, 5539801, 5539802, 5539803, 5539804, 5539805, 5539806.