Winter Weather, Alexander
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather in Illinois, December 21, 1998
Rain changed to freezing rain and sleet late in the afternoon as a sharp cold front moved across the region. Temperatures plummeted from the upper 50s during the morning into the upper 20s by early nightfall.
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.
Rain changed to freezing rain and sleet late in the afternoon as a sharp cold front moved across the region. Temperatures plummeted from the upper 50s during the morning into the upper 20s by early nightfall. The wintry precipitation lasted for only a few hours, but was sufficient to cause numerous accidents. Most involved vehicles spinning out of control and sliding into ditches, but one accident was fatal. In Williamson County, a vehicle left the road and flipped over, killing the driver.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
19 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Weather, Edwards
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Edwards forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Franklin
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Gallatin
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Gallatin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Hamilton
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Hardin
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hardin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Jackson
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Jefferson
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Johnson
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Massac
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Massac forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Perry
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Pope
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Pulaski
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Saline
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Saline forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Union
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Wabash
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wabash forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Wayne
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, White
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- White forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Williamson
- When
- December 21, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Williamson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Weather
- Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Frost and Freeze in California, December 21 to 24, 1998
- Cold in Utah, December 21 to 24, 1998
- Winter Storm in Missouri, December 21 to 22, 1998
- Winter Weather in Oklahoma, December 21, 1998
- Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 21 to 22, 1998
- Winter Storm in Illinois, December 21 to 22, 1998
- Winter Weather in Kentucky, December 21, 1998
- Dense Fog in Florida, December 21, 1998
- Winter Weather in Missouri, December 21, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 21 to 22, 1998
- Ice Storm in Texas, December 21, 1998
- Winter Weather in Indiana, December 21, 1998
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: 5674563, 5674564, 5674565, 5674566, 5674567, 5674568, 5674569, 5674570, 5674571, 5674572, 5674573, 5674574, 5674679, 5674680, 5674681, 5674682, 5674683, 5674684, 5674685.