Illinois, 1998

Winter Storm in Illinois, December 21 to 22, 1998

December 21 to 22, 1998 · NWS LSX · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

Winter came in with a vengeance, appropriately enough, on the 1st day of winter across west and southwest Illinois. A strong cold front brought the first blast of Arctic air to the state.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
17

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 LSX wrote it up.

Winter came in with a vengeance, appropriately enough, on the 1st day of winter across west and southwest Illinois. A strong cold front brought the first blast of Arctic air to the state. This was quite a shock for many people as temperatures previously in the month had been quite mild, with highs ranging from the 50s to the 70s. Light freezing drizzle, sleet and snow came in with the cold front. Roads across much of the area became covered with a thin coating of ice by the morning rush hour on the 21st. Automobile accidents were numerous. Temperatures the night/morning of the 21st/22nd dropped into the single digits in most areas and only rose into the teens on the 22nd.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Adams

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Adams forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.988, -91.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bond

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Bond forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
38.887, -89.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Brown

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Brown forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.962, -90.750 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Calhoun

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Calhoun forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.169, -90.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clinton

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Clinton forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
38.607, -89.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fayette

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Fayette forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.000, -89.024 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Greene

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Greene forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.356, -90.390 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Jersey

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Jersey forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.086, -90.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Macoupin

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Macoupin forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.261, -89.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Madison

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
38.830, -89.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marion

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Marion forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
38.650, -88.919 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Monroe

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
38.279, -90.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Montgomery

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.231, -89.479 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Pike

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Pike forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.623, -90.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Randolph

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Randolph forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
38.052, -89.825 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, St. Clair

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
St. Clair forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
38.470, -89.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington

When
December 21, 12:00 AM CST to December 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
38.352, -89.410 (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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, December 1998

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: 5673732, 5673733, 5673734, 5673735, 5673736, 5673737, 5673738, 5673739, 5673740, 5673741, 5673866, 5673867, 5673868, 5673869, 5673870, 5673871, 5673872.