Frost/Freeze, Jo Daviess
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jo Daviess forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $264,000
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 42.366, -90.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost and Freeze in Illinois, May 3, 2005
Record breaking cold settled over the Midwest during the early morning hours of 3 May 2005. The cold was of such intensity that all time record minimums for the month of May were tied or shattered at most first order stations and many co-operative stations.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- $26 million
- 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.
Record breaking cold settled over the Midwest during the early morning hours of 3 May 2005. The cold was of such intensity that all time record minimums for the month of May were tied or shattered at most first order stations and many co-operative stations. Farmers that took advantage of the unseasonably mild weather during the first half of April had to replant after crops were killed off by the freeze. In some cases, crops had to be replanted even though the growing point was below the surface. This was due to the soil being a sandy loam which allowed freezing temperatures to penetrate into the ground.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
13 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.
Frost/Freeze, Stephenson
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Stephenson forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, Carroll
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Carroll forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 42.069, -89.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, Whiteside
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Whiteside forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $330,000
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, Rock Island
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Rock Island forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $495,000
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 41.467, -90.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, Henry
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Henry forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $1.8 million
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, Bureau
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Bureau forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $198,000
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 41.404, -89.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, Putnam
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Putnam forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $66,000
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 41.205, -89.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, Mercer
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Mercer forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $6.6 million
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 41.205, -90.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, Henderson
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Henderson forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $330,000
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 40.818, -90.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, Warren
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Warren forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $2.4 million
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 40.849, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, Hancock
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hancock forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $5.6 million
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 40.404, -91.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Frost/Freeze, McDonough
- When
- May 3, 1:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- McDonough forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $8.3 million
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 40.456, -90.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Frost/Freeze
- Frost or temperatures at or below freezing during the growing season, usually filed for crop damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Frost and Freeze in Iowa, May 3, 2005
- Frost and Freeze in Missouri, May 3, 2005
- Strong Wind in Tennessee, May 3, 2005
- Hail in Florida, May 3, 2005
- Hail in Florida, May 3, 2005
- Hail in Florida, May 3, 2005
- Damaging Wind in Florida, May 3, 2005
- Hail in Florida, May 3, 2005
- Hail in Florida, May 3, 2005
- Damaging Wind in Florida, May 3, 2005
- Hail in Florida, May 3, 2005
- Hail in Vermont, May 3, 2005
More
Every storm in Illinois in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, May 2005
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5451978, 5451979, 5451980, 5451981, 5451982, 5451983, 5451984, 5451985, 5451986, 5451987, 5451988, 5451989, 5451990.