Illinois, 2000

Heavy Snow in Illinois, December 11, 2000

December 11, 2000 · NWS LOT · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A major winter storm developed in the Texas Panhandle and moved northeast through southern Illinois and northeast Indiana on December 11th. Snow fell at the rate of an inch per hour during the morning hours and by midday more than half a foot was on the gorund.

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
4

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 major winter storm developed in the Texas Panhandle and moved northeast through southern Illinois and northeast Indiana on December 11th. Snow fell at the rate of an inch per hour during the morning hours and by midday more than half a foot was on the gorund. Winds gusted to 25 to near 35 mph during the late afternoon and evening hours causing considerable blowing and drifting snow. Wind chills dropped to 30 to 40 below zero during the evening. Snowfall totals included 8.3 inches at Rockford, 8.0 inches at Belvidere, 9.0 inches at Amboy, and 12.4 inches at Dixon. With the combination of persistently below normal temperatures and subsequent snowfalls during the remainder of the month, on January 11th, 2001, Illinois Govenor George Ryan issued a disaster declaration for the entire state. On January 17th, 2001, President Clinton declared 21 counties in Illinois, many in the northern portion of the state, as Federal Emergency Areas.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Boone

When
December 11, 3:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Boone forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.323, -88.823 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lee

When
December 11, 3:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Lee forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.746, -89.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ogle

When
December 11, 3:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Ogle forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.043, -89.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Winnebago

When
December 11, 3:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Winnebago forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
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 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, December 2000

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: 5166093, 5166094, 5166095, 5166096.