Illinois, 2000

Extreme Cold in Illinois, December 23 to 24, 2000

December 23 to 24, 2000 · NWS DVN · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

Frigid Arctic air remained entrenched across the upper Midwest, and combined with a blustery northwest wind up to 20 miles an hour to produce dangerous wind chill values of 25 to 45 below zero. Actual temperatures fell to between five and ten below during the overnight 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

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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.

Frigid Arctic air remained entrenched across the upper Midwest, and combined with a blustery northwest wind up to 20 miles an hour to produce dangerous wind chill values of 25 to 45 below zero. Actual temperatures fell to between five and ten below during the overnight hours.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Bureau

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Bureau forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.404, -89.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Carroll

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.069, -89.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hancock

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Hancock forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.404, -91.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Henderson

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Henderson forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.818, -90.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Henry

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Henry forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Jo Daviess

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Jo Daviess forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.366, -90.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, McDonough

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
McDonough forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.456, -90.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mercer

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Mercer forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.205, -90.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Putnam

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Putnam forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.205, -89.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Rock Island

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Rock Island forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.467, -90.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Stephenson

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Stephenson forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Warren

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.849, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Whiteside

When
December 23, 10:00 PM CST to December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Whiteside forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.756, -89.914 (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

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: 5177667, 5177794, 5177878, 5177879, 5177880, 5177881, 5177882, 5177883, 5177884, 5177885, 5177886, 5177887, 5177888.