Winter Weather in Illinois, January 26, 2001

Name: Winter Weather in Illinois, January 26, 2001
Start: 2001-01-26T06:00
End: 2001-01-26T10:00
Location: Illinois

January 26, 2001 · NWS PAH · 19 events in 19 counties and zones

Light freezing rain overspread southern Illinois just before the early morning commute time. The precipitation, which amounted to less than a tenth of an inch, lasted a few hours.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

Light freezing rain overspread southern Illinois just before the early morning commute time. The precipitation, which amounted to less than a tenth of an inch, lasted a few hours. Along and north of Interstate 64, there was more sleet than ice. Vehicle wrecks were most numerous from the Marion and Carbondale area north. State police reported several jack-knifed semis on Interstate 57, mainly from Marion to Benton.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 26, 2:35 AM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 26, 2:35 AM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
235 AM CST FRI JAN 26 2001

MAIN SHORT TERM FORECAST CONCERN REMAINS BRIEF SHOT OF WINTRY
PRECIPITATION THIS MORNING. LATEST SURFACE OBS AND KSGF/KLZK RADAR
LOOPS INDICATED A NARROW AREA OF LIGHT MIXED PRECIP OVER THE
OZARKS...MOVING STEADILY EAST NORTHEAST. PER MISSOURI DOT REPORTS
AND COORDINATION WITH SGF...THIS PRECIP WAS NOT CAUSING SIGNIFICANT
TRAVEL HAZARDS AS OF 07Z.

MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THE DEEPEST MOISTURE AND HIGHEST QPF PASSING
NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER TODAY. UPSTREAM RADAR AND SURFACE OBS
INDICATE MUCH OF THE PRECIP IS ALOFT DUE TO DRY LOW LEVELS. LIQUID
EQUIVALENTS NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER WILL BE HARD PRESSED TO REACH A
TENTH OF AN INCH. IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE FA...WILL KEEP POPS IN
THE CHANCE CATEGORY FOR TODAY.

SURFACE TEMPS AS OF 07Z WERE CLOSE TO AVN MOS GUIDANCE...AND 5 TO 10
DEGREES ABOVE MESOETA PROGS. USING AVN MOS AND LATEST TRENDS...SFC
FREEZING LINE SHOULD BE ROUGHLY ALONG A KHOP/KPAH/KMDH LINE AT
14Z...AND TO KEVV AROUND 16Z. LEADING EDGE OF THE PRECIP SHOULD BE
NEAR A MVN/PAH LINE AT 12Z...AND EVV AROUND 15Z. IF THIS TIMING
HOLDS...ONLY A 2 OR 3 HOUR PERIOD OF MIXED PRECIP WOULD AFFECT THE
NORTHERN COUNTIES. THEREFORE...WILL HOLD OFF ON ADVISORY ISSUANCE
WITH THIS PACKAGE...AND HANDLE WITH SHORT TERM FORECASTS.

SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL BE JUST EAST OF IRK/SGF LINE AT 18Z...AND
NEAR EVV-PAH LINE AT 00Z. ANY LINGERING LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE WILL
END WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SHOULD BECOME VERY
SHALLOW OVERNIGHT. TIMING OF CLEARING BEHIND THE FRONT WILL BE
COMPLICATED BY A VERY SHALLOW MOIST LAYER TRAPPED UNDER A SUBSIDENCE
INVERSION SATURDAY. WILL FORECAST PARTIAL CLEARING SATURDAY.

COLD HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT AND
SUNDAY. WITH EXTENSIVE MID AND HIGH CLOUD COVER SUNDAY AND LIGHT
EASTERLY FLOW...sWILL SIGNIFICANTLY BACK OFF ON THE WARMING TREND FOR
SUNDAY.

.PAH...NONE.

MY

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

19 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Alexander

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Alexander forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Edwards

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Edwards forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Franklin

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Gallatin

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Gallatin forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Hamilton

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Hardin

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Hardin forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Jackson

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Jefferson

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Johnson

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Massac

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Massac forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Perry

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Pope

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Pope forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Pulaski

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Saline

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Saline forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Union

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Wabash

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Wabash forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Wayne

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, White

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: White forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Williamson

When: January 26, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Williamson forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5229285, 5229286, 5229287, 5229288, 5229289, 5229290, 5229291, 5229292, 5229293, 5229294, 5229295, 5229296, 5229297, 5229298, 5229299, 5229300, 5229301, 5229302, 5229303.