Illinois, 2000

Ice Storm in Illinois, December 15 to 16, 2000

December 15 to 16, 2000 · NWS DVN · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

A potent storm system tracked out of the southern Plains into the mid Mississippi Valley, and brought warm air aloft, which set the stage for a mix of precipitation across the area. Freezing rain and sleet started in far northeast Missouri and west central Illinois around midday, then spread northward across eastern Iowa and western Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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 DVN wrote it up.

A potent storm system tracked out of the southern Plains into the mid Mississippi Valley, and brought warm air aloft, which set the stage for a mix of precipitation across the area. Freezing rain and sleet started in far northeast Missouri and west central Illinois around midday, then spread northward across eastern Iowa and western Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours. The mix of freezing rain, sleet, and some snow continued overnight into the early morning hours of the 16th. Law enforcement, NWS cooperative observers, and spotters reported significant ice accumulations across the entire area, with amounts up to a half inch. The icy roads made for very dangerous driving conditions, and numerous reports of accidents and cars in ditches. Fortunately, area law enforcement did not report any serious accidents, despite the high level of activity.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Bureau

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Bureau forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.404, -89.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Carroll

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.069, -89.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Hancock

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Hancock forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.404, -91.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Henderson

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Henderson forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.818, -90.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Henry

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Henry forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Jo Daviess

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Jo Daviess forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.366, -90.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, McDonough

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
McDonough forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.456, -90.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Mercer

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Mercer forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.205, -90.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Putnam

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Putnam forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.205, -89.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Rock Island

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Rock Island forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.467, -90.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Stephenson

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Stephenson forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Warren

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.849, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Whiteside

When
December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Whiteside forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.756, -89.914 (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

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: 5178025, 5178026, 5178027, 5178028, 5178029, 5178030, 5178031, 5178032, 5178033, 5178034, 5178035, 5178036, 5178037.