A major winter storm crossed central Illinois on December 15th, with the snow on its back side lingering into the 16th. A period of snow in advance of the system deposited 1 to 3 inches of snow across much of the area during the morning hours, while a period of heavier snow on the back side of the storm deposited several additional inches of snow during the evening and overnight hours.
Every event with a place to put it; 14 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS ILX wrote it up.
A major winter storm crossed central Illinois on December 15th, with the snow on its back side lingering into the 16th. A period of snow in advance of the system deposited 1 to 3 inches of snow across much of the area during the morning hours, while a period of heavier snow on the back side of the storm deposited several additional inches of snow during the evening and overnight hours. Total snow accumulations ranged from 6 to 10 inches, with the heaviest snowfall occurring between the Interstate 55 and Interstate 57 corridors.
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 Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 14, 11:41 PM CST, 3 hours 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1141 PM CST FRI DEC 14 2007 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 856 PM CST FRI DEC 14 2007 CLOUDS RAPIDLY THICKENING JUST TO OUR SOUTHWEST ACROSS MISSOURI AS STRONG ISENTROPIC ASCENT TAKES AIM ON THE REGION. PRECIPITATION IS STARTING DEVELOPING ACROSS THIS AREA AS WELL. BEST FORCING IS STILL FAR ENOUGH AWAY...WITH ENOUGH DRY AIR IN PLACE ACROSS FORECAST AREA...FOR OUR SNOW TO BEGIN AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE THICKENING CLOUD COVER IS ALSO HELPING TO RETARD TEMPERATURE FALLS. GOING FORECAST APPEARS TO BE ON TRACK AT THIS TIME. ALREADY MADE MINOR TWEAKS TO GRIDS FOR THE LATEST OVERNIGHT TRENDS...BUT NO ZONE UPDATE IS NECESSARY AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1141 PM CST FRI DEC 14 2007 INITIALLY QUIET/VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DETERIORATE RAPIDLY OVERNIGHT. A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL LIFT TOWARD THE OHIO VALLEY FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS OVERNIGHT. CEILINGS WILL COME TUMBLING DOWN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP WITHIN THE NEXT FEW HOURS...A BIT MORE QUICKLY THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. ONCE THE SNOW DEVELOPS...IFR/LIFR CEILINGS/VISIBILITIES AND PERIODS OF SNOW EXPECTED THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY. MAY SEE THE PRECIPITATION CHANGE TO FREEZING DRIZZLE FOR A TIME FROM MIDDAY INTO THE AFTERNOON AS DRIER AIR PUSHES IN ALOFT. A SECOND WAVE OF HEAVIER SNOW WILL ARRIVE BETWEEN 00-03Z SUNDAY AND LINGER THROUGH THE END OF THE 06Z TAF VALID PERIOD. BAK && .PREV DISCUSSION... ISSUED 230 PM CST FRI DEC 14 2007 MAIN WEATHER STORY WILL BE WITH THE APPROACHING STORM SATURDAY AND ITS AFFECTS ON CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. AFTER THAT...WITH A SNOW COVER...TEMPERATURES WILL BE THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN ALONG WITH TIMING AND MAGNITUDE OF THE NEXT WX SYSTEM LATE IN THE PERIOD. MODELS CONTINUE WITH A SLOWING TREND WITH THE UPPER LEVEL FEATURE NOW OVER THE 4 CORNERS REGION. AS A RESULT...IT APPEARS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO CLOSE OFF AT H5 RESULTING IN A MUCH BETTER DEFINED DEFORMATION ZONE ACRS OUR AREA LATE SATURDAY INTO EARLY SUNDAY...LEADING TO ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL. WL USE A BLEND OF THE GFS AND NAM AT THIS POINT. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT QUIET WEATHER PATTERN TO COME TO AN END LATE TNT AS THE WARM ADVECTION PATTERN OUT AHEAD OF THE MAJOR SHORTWAVE TO OUR SOUTHWEST PRODUCES AN INCREASING AREA OF SNOW WHICH WILL PUSH INTO THE SOUTHWEST AFTR 06Z AND OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE FCST AREAS BY 15Z SATURDAY. IT APPEARS THERE WILL BE TWO WAVES OF SNOW ACRS THE FCST AREA ON SATURDAY...THE FIRST WITH THE WARM ADVECTION/STRONG ISENT ASCENT AND INCRG PVA PATTERN IN THE MORNING AND THEN WITH THE DEVELOPING DEFORMATION ZONE SATURDAY EVENING. FORECAST SOUNDINGS POINTING TO ALL SNOW ACRS MOST OF THE AREA EXCEPT ALONG THE I-70 CORRIDOR WHERE MODELS SUGGEST WE LOOSE ICE CRYSTAL FORMATION BY MID MORNING LEADING TO A PERIOD OF FREEZING DRIZZLE OR SLEET. BUFKIT TIME HEIGHT CROSS SUGGESTING 2 TIME FRAMES WHERE THE DEEP LAYERED OMEGA/LIFT COINCIDES WITH THE DEEPER MOISTURE...SATURDAY MORNING AND AGAIN AFTR 00Z SUNDAY. THIS IS WHERE WE WILL PICK UP OUR MOST SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS...ADVSY CRITERIA (3 TO 5 INCHES) ROUGHLY ALONG AND NW OF INTERSTATE 55...AND WARNING CRITERIA...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR 6 TO 8 INCHES TO THE SOUTH BY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. BEST QG FORCING ON THE NAM ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEFORMATION ZONE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY...ACCOMPANIED BY INCREASING NORTH WINDS AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM BECOMES NEGATIVELY TILTED AND THE SFC SYSTEM DEEPENS. GFS TRENDING WITH THE SLOWER SOLUTION ALTHOUGH IT HOLDS OFF CLOSING OFF THE UPPER LOW UNTIL IT IS EAST OF OUR AREA LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. AS THE LOW PULLS AWAY ON SUNDAY...WINDS WILL DIMINISH DURING THE MORNING HOURS WITH ANY LINGERING SNOW CHANCES ENDING ACRS THE FAR EAST AND SOUTH EARLY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL PUSH IN AND WITH THE NEW SNOW COVER...TEMPS WILL BE AOB GUID VALUES INTO MONDAY DESPITE THE MODELS SHOWING SOME DECENT WARM ADVECTION OCCURRING LATER MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM WHICH IS SLATTED TO TRACK TO OUR NORTH A CLIPPER SYSTEM ON TUESDAY. LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FAIRLY QUICK MOVING SYSTEM WILL PUSH ACRS THE LAKES REGION ON TUESDAY WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF RETURN FLOW AHEAD OF THE FEATURE SO FOR NOW WL LEAVE TUE DRY. TEMPS WARMING TO ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD...BUT STILL AVERAGING SVL DEGREES BELOW MOS GUID DUE TO THE EXPECTED SNOW...ESPECIALLY DURING THE EARLY PORTION OF THE PERIOD. NEXT SIG WAVE TO APPROACH THE MIDWEST LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND HAVE USED MORE OF THE ECMWF SOLUTION WITH THIS FEATURE. STRONGER DYNAMICS SUGGEST ADDING SOME POPS FOR THE WED NIGHT THRU THU NIGHT TIME FRAME WITH SYSTEM CLEARING OUR AREA BY FRIDAY AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS INTO THE MIDWEST. SMITH && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 AM SATURDAY TO 6 AM CST SUNDAY FOR ILZ044>046-052>057-061>063-066>068-071>073. SNOW ADVISORY FROM 6 AM SATURDAY TO 6 AM CST SUNDAY FOR ILZ027>031-036>038-040>043-047>051. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 412 PM CST FRI DEC 14 2007 ILZ062-063-066>068-071>073-151200- CLARK-CLAY-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 412 PM CST FRI DEC 14 2007 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM SATURDAY TO 6 AM CST SUNDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW WILL BEGIN ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AS A WINTER STORM SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES AND WILL SPREAD WINTRY PRECIPITATION INTO EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 8 INCHES ARE CURRENTLY EXPECTED BEFORE THE SNOW ENDS SUNDAY MORNING. THERE MAY ALSO BE A PERIOD OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN MIXING WITH THE LIGHT SNOW SATURDAY AFTERNOON...CAUSING MINOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ044>046-052>057-061-151200- CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-COLES-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-MACON-MOULTRIE-PIATT- SHELBY-VERMILION- 412 PM CST FRI DEC 14 2007 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM SATURDAY TO 6 AM CST SUNDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW WILL BEGIN ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AS A WINTER STORM SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES AND WILL SPREAD SNOW INTO CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 8 INCHES ARE CURRENTLY EXPECTED BEFORE THE SNOW ENDS SUNDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ027>031-036>038-040>043-047>051-151200- CASS-DE WITT-FULTON-KNOX-LOGAN-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-MENARD- MORGAN-PEORIA-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT-STARK-TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 412 PM CST FRI DEC 14 2007 ...SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM SATURDAY TO 6 AM CST SUNDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW WILL BEGIN ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AS A WINTER STORM SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES AND WILL SPREAD SNOW INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE CURRENTLY EXPECTED BEFORE THE SNOW ENDS SUNDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. AUTEN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
14 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow fell across Christian county, with 6 to 9 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Macon county, with 6 to 10 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Morgan county, with 6 to 9 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Sangamon county, with 6 to 9 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Scott county, with 6 to 9 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across McLean county, with 6 to 9 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Moultrie county, with 6 to 8 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Piatt county, with 6 to 9 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Shelby county, with 6 to 9 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Champaign county, with 6 to 8 inch snowfall totals common. An indirect fatality occurred near Savoy when a 45 year old woman slid off the road and was ejected from her pickup truck.
Heavy snow fell across Coles county, with 6 to 8 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Douglas county, with 6 to 7 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Effingham county, with 6 to 7 inch snowfall totals common.
Heavy snow fell across Vermilion county, with 5 to 8 inch snowfall totals common.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow, Champaign | 2007-12-15 | 45 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, December 2007
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: 69243, 69247, 69249, 69252, 69253, 69248, 69250, 69251, 69254, 69242, 69244, 69245, 69246, 69255.