Illinois, 1998

Heavy Snow in Illinois, January 8, 1998

January 8, 1998 · NWS LOT · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A band of heavy snow began falling over northwest Illinois the morning of the 8th. By that evening, a band of 4 to 8 inches of snow had fallen over much of north central Illinois and the extreme northeast corner of Illinois.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 LOT wrote it up.

A band of heavy snow began falling over northwest Illinois the morning of the 8th. By that evening, a band of 4 to 8 inches of snow had fallen over much of north central Illinois and the extreme northeast corner of Illinois. The heaviest snow fell from west of Peoria through Rockford and as far east as the northwest and north suburbs of Chicago. The heavier snowfall amounts include: Dixon - 7.7 inches in Lee county, Rockford - 7.2 in Winnebago county, Wonderlake - 7.5 inches in McHenry county, and Barrington - 6.5 inches in northern Cook county.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Boone

When
January 8, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Boone forecast zone
Coordinates
42.323, -88.823 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cook

When
January 8, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Cook forecast zone

Heavy Snow, De Kalb

When
January 8, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
De Kalb forecast zone
Coordinates
41.894, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kane

When
January 8, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Kane forecast zone
Coordinates
41.939, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lake

When
January 8, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Coordinates
42.349, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lee

When
January 8, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Lee forecast zone
Coordinates
41.746, -89.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, McHenry

When
January 8, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
McHenry forecast zone
Coordinates
42.324, -88.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ogle

When
January 8, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Ogle forecast zone
Coordinates
42.043, -89.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Winnebago

When
January 8, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Winnebago forecast zone
Coordinates
42.336, -89.161 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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, January 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: 5631655, 5631656, 5631657, 5631658, 5631659, 5631660, 5631661, 5631662, 5631663.