Winter Storm, Jo Daviess
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jo Daviess forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.366, -90.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 17, 1997
A winter storm hit the area just before the beginning of the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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
- 13
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 DVN wrote it up.
A winter storm hit the area just before the beginning of the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. This meant that many schools and other businesses were closed for six days. Strong winds and sub-zero temperatures accompanied three to seven inches of snow with the storm of January 15 and 16. Schools were closed due to icy roads and snowfall on the 15th and due to considerable blowing and drifting on the 16th and 17th. Drifting of snow was so great in rural areas that state roads and major highways were closed through much of the weekend. Interstate 80 was closed to one lane of traffic for some time across northwest Illinois because the road continued to blow shut. No mail was delivered in some areas Friday the 17th or Saturday the 18th due to closed roads. Numerous accidents occurred across the area on the 15th and 16th, but the most serious calls came on the 17th. Most of the Sheriff Department calls, on the 17th, came from motorists in ditches or otherwise stranded asking for assistance home. One man in Bureau County, Illinois was trapped for seven hours on highway 34 from 3 AM to 10 AM. Winds averaged 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 45 mph and temperatures were below zero through much of the weekend. This produced dangerous windchill temperatures.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
13 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Stephenson
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stephenson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Carroll
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Carroll forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.069, -89.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Whiteside
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Whiteside forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Rock Island
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Rock Island forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.467, -90.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Henry
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Henry forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Bureau
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Bureau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.404, -89.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Putnam
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Putnam forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.205, -89.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Mercer
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mercer forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.205, -90.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Henderson
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Henderson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.818, -90.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Warren
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Warren forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.849, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Hancock
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hancock forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.404, -91.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, McDonough
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- McDonough forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.456, -90.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 18, 1997
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Cold in South Dakota, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 17, 1997
- Cold in Iowa, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Mississippi, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- High Wind in Iowa, January 15 to 16, 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: 5590061, 5590062, 5590063, 5590064, 5590065, 5590066, 5590067, 5590068, 5590069, 5590070, 5590071, 5590072, 5590073.