Cold/Wind Chill, Jefferson
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Illinois, January 10 to 11, 1997
Arctic air blew into the region in the wake of a departing snowstorm. A wind chill advisory was issued for wind chills as low as minus 30.
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
- 1
- 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.
Arctic air blew into the region in the wake of a departing snowstorm. A wind chill advisory was issued for wind chills as low as minus 30. A woman in her 60s froze to death after she slipped and fell outside her home near Orient in Franklin County. The city of Murphysboro recommended letting faucets drip to prevent pipes from freezing.
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
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Edwards
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Edwards forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Wabash
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Wabash forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Perry
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Franklin
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Hamilton
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, White
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- White forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Jackson
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Williamson
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Williamson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Saline
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Saline forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Gallatin
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Gallatin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Union
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Johnson
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Pope
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Hardin
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hardin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Alexander
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Pulaski
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Massac
- When
- January 10, 10:00 AM CST to January 11, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Massac forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.219, -88.708 (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, Jefferson | 1997-01-11 | 65 | Female | 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
- Cold in Ohio, January 10 to 19, 1997
- Cold in Illinois, January 10, 1997
- Storm Surge in Maine, January 10, 1997
- Winter Storm in Alabama, January 10, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 10 to 12, 1997
- Lake-Effect Snow in New York, January 10 to 11, 1997
- Winter Storm in Tennessee, January 10, 1997
- Cold in Missouri, January 10 to 13, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 10 to 14, 1997
- Storm Surge in New Hampshire, January 10, 1997
- Cold in Pennsylvania, January 10 to 20, 1997
- Cold in Kentucky, January 10 to 11, 1997
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, January 1997
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: 5585680, 5585681, 5585682, 5585683, 5585684, 5585685, 5585686, 5585687, 5585688, 5585689, 5585690, 5585691, 5585692, 5585693, 5585694, 5585695, 5585849, 5585850, 5585851.