Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Alexander
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold in Illinois, December 12 to 31, 2000
An invasion of arctic air occurred on December 12. The arctic air became permanently entrenched over the region for the remainder of the month, resulting in the coldest December on record at Paducah, KY.
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
- None recorded
- 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.
An invasion of arctic air occurred on December 12. The arctic air became permanently entrenched over the region for the remainder of the month, resulting in the coldest December on record at Paducah, KY. The average monthly temperature of 25.9 degrees was 11.4 below normal. On the coldest day of the month, the 17th, the high was 17 and the low was 6. Unusually high energy prices, combined with the record cold, caused homeless shelters to fill to capacity. The usual problems associated with frigid temperatures, such as frozen pipes and water main breaks, were common during the latter half of the month. At Brookport, across the river from Paducah, the pipe extending down from the water tower froze, causing it to burst. As a result, Brookport temporarily had no water supply until emergency wells were dug. Heavy ice on the Mississippi River prompted the Coast Guard to restrict barge traffic from Cairo, IL northward.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
19 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Edwards
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Edwards forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Franklin
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Gallatin
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Gallatin forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hamilton
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hardin
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Hardin forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Jackson
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Jefferson
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Johnson
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Massac
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Massac forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Perry
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pope
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pulaski
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Saline
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Saline forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Union
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wabash
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Wabash forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wayne
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, White
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- White forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Williamson
- When
- December 12, 12:01 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Williamson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
- Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Ice Storm in Louisiana, December 12 to 13, 2000
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, December 12, 2000
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, December 12, 2000
- Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 12 to 13, 2000
- High Wind in New York, December 12, 2000
- Ice Storm in Texas, December 12 to 13, 2000
- High Wind in New Jersey, December 12, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 12 to 13, 2000
- Cold in South Carolina, December 12 to 13, 2000
- High Wind in New York, December 12, 2000
- High Wind in New York, December 12, 2000
- High Wind in New York, December 12, 2000
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: 5165779, 5165780, 5165781, 5165782, 5165783, 5165784, 5165785, 5165786, 5165787, 5165788, 5165789, 5165790, 5165791, 5165792, 5165877, 5165878, 5165879, 5165880, 5165881.