A powerful storm system produced between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice across parts of central Illinois on December 18th. Areas along and north of I-72 were most severely impacted, with widespread tree damage and power outages reported.
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 powerful storm system produced between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice across parts of central Illinois on December 18th. Areas along and north of I-72 were most severely impacted, with widespread tree damage and power outages reported. Increasing west to northwest winds in the wake of the departing storm system resulted in additional downed tree branches and power outages into December 20th. At the height of the storm, over 30,000 customers were reported to be without power across central Illinois. Preliminary damage estimates are approximately 2 million dollars.
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 18, 5:18 PM CST, 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 518 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 259 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 THE ICE STORM AND FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY ARE THE MAIN CONCERNS TODAY. MODELS HAVE SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE THERMAL STRUCTURE...WHICH IS THE PRIMARY FOCUS FOR DETERMINING THE PRECIP TYPE THAT REACHES THE GROUND...AND WHAT HAPPENS AFTER IT GETS THERE. THE GFS AND NAM TRENDED WARMER SOONER THAN THE PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS...WITH THE GFS WARMER THAN THE NAM OVERALL. THIS WOULD CREATE A SHORTER TIME PERIOD FOR ICING TO OCCUR TONIGHT. THE MODELS DO AGREE ON UP TO ONE INCH OF WATER EQUIVALENT /QPF/ IN MOST OF THE CWA. THE MAIN CHALLENGE IS DETERMINING HOW MUCH ICE WILL FORM BEFORE THE WARM LAYER ALOFT GETS TOO WARM FOR THE FREEZING PROCESS TO SUSTAIN ON THE GROUND IN THE ABSENCE OF A STRONG INFLUX OF DRIER AIR /WET BULB BELOW FREEZING/ NEAR THE GROUND. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. AFTER ANALYZING THE LATEST MODEL OUTPUT...HAVE OPTED TO NOT CHANGE THE HEADLINES FOR THIS EVENING. WILL LEAVE THE WARNING AND ADVISORY COUNTIES ARE ORIGINALLY SET. HOWEVER...WILL BE PULLING BACK ON THE AMOUNT OF ICE EXPECTED...AND WILL BE STARTING THE TRANSITION TO ALL RAIN SOONER...FROM SOUTH TO NORTH OVER NIGHT. AREAS NORTH OF PEORIA HAVE THE BEST CHANCE FOR REMAINING FREEZING RAIN ALL NIGHT...BUT EVEN THERE THE WARM WEDGE ALOFT MAY BECOME TOO WARM FOR THE RAINDROP TO REFREEZE ON THE GROUND. THE LOW IS STILL EXPECTED TO TRACK ACROSS OUR CWA FROM SPI TO CMI BETWEEN 06Z AND 12Z TONIGHT. THIS TRACK SHOULD KEEP THE WARM SECTOR PRIMARILY SOUTH OF THE ICE STORM WARNING AREA. HOWEVER...THE WARM CONVEYOR BELT WILL BEGIN TO WRAP AROUND TO THE NW SIDE OF LOW AFTER MIDNIGHT...AND THIS MAY PUSH THE WARM LAYER A BIT FARTHER NORTH THAN PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED. SATELLITE AND RADAR TRENDS SHOW THE MID LEVEL WAA PRECIP ALREADY NEARING OUR SOUTHERN CWA. SURFACE TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS HAVE RISEN STEADILY THROUGH THE DAY. WILL GO WITH CATEGORICAL POPS ALL NIGHT AS PRECIP WILL RAPIDLY OVERSPREAD THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA THIS EVENING. EXPECT FREEZING RAIN TO START BETWEEN 6 AND 8 PM SOUTH OF I-72...AND REACH THE I-74 CORRIDOR TOWARD 9 PM. THE INITIAL IMPACT OF THE ICE WILL BE FELT AS SOON AS FREEZING RAIN STARTS. AS THE FREEZING RAIN HITS DRY COLD PAVEMENT...IT WILL FREEZE RAPIDLY TO CREATE A SMOOTH SURFACE. EVEN LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE IN THOSE CONDITIONS WILL CREATE A SKATING RINK ON MOST ROADS. AT THE ONSET OF THIS EVENT...TRAVEL WILL RAPIDLY BECOME VERY HAZARDOUS. BY SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT...THE ICE ACCUMULATION ON TREES AND POWER LINES WILL INCREASE...ESPECIALLY N OF HAVANA TO BMI...WHERE FREEZING RAIN WILL LAST THE LONGEST. TREE LIMBS MAY EVENTUALLY FALL INTO POWER LINES...CREATING POWER OUTAGES. THE WARM LAYER ALOFT WILL PROGRESSIVELY DEEPEN AND BECOME WARMER. THE GFS SHOWS THE WARM LAYER REACHING NEAR +10C AT 850MB. THE NAM GETS UP NEAR +8C. THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA WILL LIKELY BE ALL RAIN /OR ABOVE FREEZING/ BY 09Z AT THE LATEST. THIS WILL HELP TO MELT SOME OF THE ICE THAT FORMS PRIOR TO THAT. THE ICE MAY REACH A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH OVERNIGHT...BUT SOME OF THAT MAY BEGIN TO MELT BEFORE SUNRISE DUE TO THE WARMER RAIN DROPS REACHING THE GROUND. CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY STILL BE VERY ICY AND TRAVEL WILL BE HAZARDOUS...BUT WE SHOULD REMAIN BELOW THE 3/4 INCHES OF ICE PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED. MOST AREAS IN THE ICE STORM WARNING SHOULD SEE ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH OF ICE. FRIDAY MORNING WILL SEE THE WARMEST TEMPERATURES BY 9 AM...THEN COLDER AIR WILL RETURN BEHIND THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. SOME LIGHT RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE N OF I-74...BUT MOST AREAS SOUTH OF THERE SHOULD BE WARM ENOUGH FOR ALL RAIN EARLY IN THE MORNING. DRY AIR ALOFT WILL BEGIN TO SHUT DOWN THE PRECIPITATION FRIDAY MORNING...AND DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPS WILL BE FALLING THROUGH THE DAY...SO ANY WET SURFACES WILL LIKELY RE-FREEZE...CREATING HAZARDOUS TRAVEL ONCE AGAIN...ESPECIALLY ON UNTREATED SURFACES. LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. SATURDAY WILL SEE A CLIPPER TRACK BY JUST TO THE NORTH OF OUR CWA. WE WILL SEE SOME FORCING UNDER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE H5 SHORTWAVE. THE PRECIP SHOULD HOLD OFF UNTIL SATURDAY AFTERNOON. LIGHT SNOW WILL BE THE PRIMARY PRECIP TYPE NW OF I-55...WITH SOME RAIN SE OF THERE. THE PRECIP WILL CHANGE TO SNOW SAT EVENING FROM NW TO SE. ACCUMS WILL BE LIGHT...WITH GENERALLY A DUSTING TO ONE HALF INCH POSSIBLE. VERY COLD AIR WILL INVADE THE CWA SAT NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. TEMPS WILL PLUMMET RAPIDLY...AND NW WINDS WILL GUST NEAR 30 MPH BY SUNDAY MORNING. WIND CHILLS WILL LIKELY DROP NEAR ADVISORY LEVELS. THIS WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED. HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD PROVIDE DRY WEATHER FOR MONDAY. TUESDAY WILL FEATURE THE NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE N OF I-70...WITH FREEZING RAIN OR SNOW SOUTH OF I-70 ON TUESDAY. TUESDAY NIGHT...ANY LINGERING PRECIP SHOULD BECOME ALL SNOW...AS COLD AIR FILTERS INTO THE AREA. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...BUT MAINLY LESS THAN ONE INCH IN MOST AREAS...WITH THE HIGHER TOTALS NW OF I-55. AFTER THAT...HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD PROVIDE QUIET WEATHER FOR CHRISTMAS EVE DAY AND CHRISTMAS DAY. SHIMON && .AVIATION... ISSUED 518 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 SFC LOW NOW DVLPG WRN KS WILL MOVE RAPIDLY EWD AND REACH CENTRAL IL BY 12Z FRI. EXPECT FZRA TO ENVELOP AREA TERMINALS BEGINNING 01Z-02Z FRI FIRST AT SPI...AND FINALLY TWD BMI/CMI 03Z-04Z. SFC TEMPS WILL CONTINUE BLO 32 DEG THROUGH AT LEAST 06Z. AFTERWHICH...SPI SHOULD RISE ABV FREEZING 06Z-07Z FRI. PIA/BMI/CMI SHOULD STAY BLO FREEZING THRU AT LEAST 11Z FRI. IFR CONDITIONS WITH SIGNIFICANT ICING WILL BE THE RULE. PCPN WILL BEGIN TAPERING OFF IN THE 15Z-18Z FRI TIMEFRAME BUT LOW CLDS WILL CONTINUE THRU 00Z. INITIAL WINDS ESELY 10-15 KT WILL DECREASE AND BECOME VRBL AS THE SFC LOW PASSES THROUGH...THEN BECOME WLY/NWLY 15-20 KT BY 18Z FRI. 04 && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ICE STORM WARNING UNTIL 12 PM CST FRIDAY FOR ILZ027>031-036>038- 040>043-047-048. FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY FOR ILZ049>057- 061>063-066. FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY UNTIL 12 PM CST FRIDAY FOR ILZ044>046. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 324 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>043-047-048-191200- CASS-DE WITT-FULTON-KNOX-LOGAN-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-MENARD- PEORIA-SCHUYLER-STARK-TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 324 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 ...ICE STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM CST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A VIGOROUS STORM SYSTEM WILL SPREAD WINTRY PRECIPITATION ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS TONIGHT. SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS RANGING FROM ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF OF AN INCH WILL BE LIKELY. TRAVEL IS EXPECTED TO BE SEVERELY IMPACTED ACROSS THIS AREA TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. IN ADDITION...POWER OUTAGES WILL BE POSSIBLE AS ICE ACCUMULATES ON TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR AS WELL...BUT NO SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY...BRINGING LIGHT SNOWS TO THE REGION. GUSTY WINDS AND SHARPLY COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM LATER SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ049>057-061>063-066-191200- CHRISTIAN-CLARK-COLES-CUMBERLAND-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-MACON- MORGAN-MOULTRIE-SANGAMON-SCOTT-SHELBY- 324 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 ...FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A VIGOROUS STORM SYSTEM WILL SPREAD WINTRY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING... THEN GRADUALLY TRANSITION TO RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT AS WARMER AIR MOVES NORTHWARD INTO THE AREA. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF BETWEEN ONE TENTH AND ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH WILL BE LIKELY BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION CHANGES TO RAIN. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR AS WELL...BUT NO SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY...BRINGING LIGHT SNOWS TO THE REGION. GUSTY WINDS AND SHARPLY COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM LATER SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ044>046-191200- CHAMPAIGN-PIATT-VERMILION- 324 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 ...FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM CST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A VIGOROUS STORM SYSTEM WILL SPREAD WINTRY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING... THEN GRADUALLY TRANSITION TO RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT AS WARMER AIR MOVES NORTHWARD INTO THE AREA. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF BETWEEN ONE TENTH AND ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH WILL BE LIKELY BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION CHANGES TO RAIN. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR AS WELL...BUT NO SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY...BRINGING LIGHT SNOWS TO THE REGION. GUSTY WINDS AND SHARPLY COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM LATER SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ067-068-071>073-191200- CLAY-CRAWFORD-JASPER-LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 324 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A VIGOROUS STORM SYSTEM WILL SPREAD WINTRY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. AFTER A BRIEF PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN THIS EVENING...THE PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO RAIN AS WARMER AIR IS DRAWN NORTHWARD INTO THE AREA. SIGNIFICANT ICING IS NOT ANTICIPATED. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR AS WELL...BUT NO SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY...BRINGING LIGHT SNOWS TO THE REGION. GUSTY WINDS AND SHARPLY COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM LATER SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. BARNES
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
14 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Weather observers across Cass County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice, including nearly three quarters of an inch near Philadelphia.
Weather observers across Schuyler County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice.
Weather observers across Fulton County reported between one half and three quarters of an inch of ice, including one half inch amounts in both Canton and Avon. In addition, widespread power outages and numerous traffic accidents were reported across the county.
Weather observers across Logan County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice, including one half inch at the National Weather Service office in Lincoln.
Weather observers across Mason County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice, including one half inch in Havana.
Weather observers across Menard County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice.
Weather observers across Knox County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice, including six tenths of an inch in both Galesburg and Altona.
Weather observers across Peoria County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice, including six tenths of an inch in Peoria and near Princeville.
Weather observers across Stark County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice.
Weather observers across Tazewell County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice, including one half inch in both Morton and Mackinaw.
Weather observers across DeWitt County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice.
Weather observers across Marshall County reported between one half and three quarters of an inch of ice, including seven tenths of an inch in Henry.
Weather observers across McLean County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice, including six tenths of an inch in Bloomington.
Weather observers across Woodford County reported between one quarter and three quarters of an inch of ice, including one half inch in both Eureka and Minonk.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, December 2008
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: 143552, 143564, 143554, 143556, 143559, 143562, 143555, 143563, 143566, 143567, 143553, 143557, 143560, 143568.