Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Alexander
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold in Illinois, January 1 to 4, 2001
The prolonged arctic freeze that began during the second week of December finally ended by January 4. During the first few days of the new year, temperatures averaged 15 to 25 degrees below normal.
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.
The prolonged arctic freeze that began during the second week of December finally ended by January 4. During the first few days of the new year, temperatures averaged 15 to 25 degrees below normal. Overnight lows were around zero. As a result, ice continued to be a problem on the Mississippi River. The combination of ice and low river levels made navigation for barges very hazardous. About 10 miles north of Cape Girardeau, MO, 15 barges loaded with coal went aground.
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
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Edwards forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Franklin
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Gallatin
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Gallatin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hamilton
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hardin
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hardin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Jackson
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Jefferson
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Johnson
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Massac
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Massac forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Perry
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pope
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pulaski
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Saline
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Saline forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Union
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wabash
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wabash forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wayne
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, White
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- White forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Williamson
- When
- January 1, 12:01 AM CST to January 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Williamson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- 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
- Drought in Texas, January 1 to 31, 2001
- Frost and Freeze in Florida, January 1, 2001
- Extreme Cold in Florida, January 1, 2001
- Winter Storm in Louisiana, January 1, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Texas, January 1 to 5, 2001
- Winter Storm in Tennessee, January 1 to 2, 2001
- Extreme Cold in Missouri, January 1 to 3, 2001
- Winter Weather in Georgia, January 1, 2001
- Extreme Cold in Kansas, January 1 to 2, 2001
- Extreme Cold in Kentucky, January 1 to 4, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 1, 2001
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, January 1 to 2, 2001
More
Every storm in Illinois in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, January 2001
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: 5229447, 5229448, 5229449, 5229576, 5229577, 5229578, 5229579, 5229580, 5229581, 5229582, 5229583, 5229584, 5229585, 5229586, 5229587, 5229588, 5229589, 5229590, 5229591.