Winter Storm, Knox
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Knox forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.932, -90.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Illinois, March 8 to 9, 1998
A storm over the Southern Plains moved northeast bringing rain to the area which switched over to snow in the evening on March 8th. The snowfall persisted overnight with a mixture of freezing rain and snow in our southeastern counties.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 26 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
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 26
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 ILX wrote it up.
A storm over the Southern Plains moved northeast bringing rain to the area which switched over to snow in the evening on March 8th. The snowfall persisted overnight with a mixture of freezing rain and snow in our southeastern counties. By the time the snow tapered off, snowfall amounts ranged from 2 inches in Coles county to over 6 inches in Knox, Peoria, and Fulton counties. Numerous accidents were reported with dozens of minor injuries. Two men died in separate accidents in Peoria county as they lost control of their vehicles due to the trecherous road conditions. Even after the snowfall subsided, gusty winds to 50 mph created near white-out conditions in most locations, before subsiding during the evening hours on the 9th.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
26 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Cass
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cass forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.974, -90.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Champaign
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Champaign forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.140, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Christian
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Christian forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.546, -89.277 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Coles
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Coles forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.520, -88.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, De Witt
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- De Witt forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.175, -88.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Douglas
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Douglas forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.770, -88.217 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Edgar
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Edgar forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.679, -87.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Fulton
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Fulton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.473, -90.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Logan
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Logan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.125, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Macon
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Macon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.860, -88.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Marshall
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.033, -89.345 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Mason
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mason forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.240, -89.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, McLean
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- McLean forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.491, -88.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Menard
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Menard forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.027, -89.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Morgan
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Morgan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.716, -90.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Moultrie
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Moultrie forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.642, -88.619 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Peoria
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Peoria forecast zone
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Piatt
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Piatt forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.010, -88.591 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Sangamon
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sangamon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Schuyler
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Schuyler forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.158, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Scott
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Scott forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.644, -90.475 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Stark
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stark forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.093, -89.797 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Tazewell
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Tazewell forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Vermilion
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Vermilion forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.183, -87.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Woodford
- When
- March 8, 10:00 PM CST to March 9, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Woodford forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.788, -89.211 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Storm, Peoria | 1998-03-09 | 52 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Winter Storm, Peoria | 1998-03-09 | 41 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
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
- Flash Flood in Alabama, March 8, 1998
- Flooding in Georgia, March 8 to 21, 1998
- Flooding in Alabama, March 8 to 17, 1998
- Tornadoes in South Carolina, March 8, 1998
- Avalanche in Colorado, March 8, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Alabama, March 8, 1998
- Tornado in North Carolina, March 8, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Massachusetts, March 8 to 13, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Florida, March 8, 1998
- Flooding in Georgia, March 8 to 14, 1998
- Tornado in North Carolina, March 8, 1998
- Flash Flood in Alabama, March 8, 1998
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, March 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: 5631697, 5631698, 5631699, 5631700, 5631701, 5631702, 5631703, 5631704, 5631705, 5631706, 5631707, 5631708, 5631709, 5631710, 5631711, 5631712, 5631713, 5631714, 5631715, 5631716, 5631717, 5631718, 5631719, 5631720, 5631721, 5631722.