Ice Storm, Alexander
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in Illinois, January 1 to 2, 1999
Significant ice accumulations caused travel problems across southern Illinois beginning late on New Years Day and continuing through the night. Traffic volume was especially light because it was a holiday weekend.
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
- $150,000
- 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.
Significant ice accumulations caused travel problems across southern Illinois beginning late on New Years Day and continuing through the night. Traffic volume was especially light because it was a holiday weekend. Those who had to be out found roads extremely difficult to navigate. The hardest hit areas, from Carbondale to Benton and West Frankfort, experienced numerous power outages due to snapped tree limbs and power lines. A rural electric co-op reported slow progress in restoring power because of treacherous roads and fallen trees. Estimates of the number of residences without power were around 10,000, primarily in Franklin and Jackson Counties. Ice accumulations were estimated to be one-half to one inch thick in the area from Carbondale to DuQuoin and Mt. Vernon. Shelters were set up for those without heat, but few people took advantage of them. Local emergency rooms reported a sharp increase in slip-and-fall injuries.Dozens of vehicle accidents or mishaps occurred, including a fatal wreck on Interstate 57 about 4 miles south of Mt. Vernon. The governor of Illinois issued a disaster declaration for the entire state.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
19 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, Edwards
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Edwards forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Franklin
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Gallatin
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Gallatin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Hamilton
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Hardin
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hardin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Jackson
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Jefferson
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Johnson
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Massac
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Massac forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Perry
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Pope
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Pulaski
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Saline
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Saline forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Union
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Wabash
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Wabash forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Wayne
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, White
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- White forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Williamson
- When
- January 1, 5:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Williamson forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Ice Storm
- Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 1 to 3, 1999
- Winter Storm in Iowa, January 1 to 2, 1999
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, January 1, 1999
- Winter Storm in Iowa, January 1 to 3, 1999
- Tornado in Texas, January 1, 1999
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, January 1, 1999
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Illinois, January 1 to 3, 1999
- Tornado in Louisiana, January 1, 1999
- Dense Fog in California, January 1 to 2, 1999
- Ice Storm in Arkansas, January 1 to 2, 1999
- Heavy Snow in Illinois, January 1 to 2, 1999
- Winter Storm in Missouri, January 1 to 2, 1999
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, January 1999
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: 5680831, 5680832, 5680833, 5680834, 5680835, 5680836, 5680837, 5680838, 5680839, 5680840, 5680841, 5680842, 5680843, 5680844, 5680845, 5680846, 5680847, 5680848, 5680849.