Illinois, 1998

Winter Weather in Illinois, December 23, 1998

December 23, 1998 · NWS PAH · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A light snowfall, the first of the season in some areas, provided a one-inch coating. Road surfaces became extremely slippery, and numerous accidents were reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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.

A light snowfall, the first of the season in some areas, provided a one-inch coating. Road surfaces became extremely slippery, and numerous accidents were reported. Two of the accidents left drivers with major injuries and traffic backups stretching several miles. A tractor-trailer rig northbound on Interstate 57 near Marion jackknifed and crossed the median into the southbound lanes. The driver of a car that was struck by the truck was seriously injured. Traffic on Interstate 57 was detoured onto side roads until the accident could be cleared. Another accident on U.S. 51 about 8 miles south of Carbondale closed that road for a while. Three vehicles were involved in that wreck, and one person was seriously injured. Numerous other accidents were reported across the region, mostly minor.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Alexander

When
December 23, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 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, Hardin

When
December 23, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 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 23, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 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, Johnson

When
December 23, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 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 23, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 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, Pope

When
December 23, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 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 23, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 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, Union

When
December 23, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 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, Williamson

When
December 23, 1:00 PM CST to 9:00 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

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: 5674709, 5674710, 5674711, 5674712, 5674713, 5674714, 5674715, 5674716, 5674717.