Heavy Snow in Illinois, March 5 to 6, 1999

Name: Heavy Snow in Illinois, March 5 to 6, 1999
Start: 1999-03-05T17:00
End: 1999-03-06T12:00
Location: Illinois

March 5 to 6, 1999 · NWS LOT · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Snow fell across north central and northeast Illinois. Most of the area received 3 to 6 inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 5

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.

Snow fell across north central and northeast Illinois. Most of the area received 3 to 6 inches. The heaviest amounts were 8.2 inches at Midway Airport in Chicago, 7 inches at Winfield in DuPage County, 6 inches at Elburn and Elgin in Kane County and 6 inches at Compton and Dixon in Lee County.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Cook

When: March 5, 5:00 PM CST to March 6, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Cook forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy Snow, De Kalb

When: March 5, 5:00 PM CST to March 6, 8:00 AM CST
Where: De Kalb forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.894, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Du Page

When: March 5, 5:00 PM CST to March 6, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Du Page forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.852, -88.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kane

When: March 5, 5:00 PM CST to March 6, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Kane forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.939, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lee

When: March 5, 5:00 PM CST to March 6, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.746, -89.300 (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

Every storm in Illinois in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, March 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: 5686322, 5686323, 5686324, 5686325, 5686326.