Extreme Cold in Illinois, January 14 to 16, 2009

Name: Extreme Cold in Illinois, January 14 to 16, 2009
Start: 2009-01-14T22:00
End: 2009-01-16T12:00
Location: Illinois

January 14 to 16, 2009 · NWS LOT · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

Very cold temperatures combined with strong winds to create dangerously low wind chill values on January 15th which continued into the morning hours of January 16th. Low temperatures on the morning of January 15th dropped to 15 below to 20 below zero with a few colder locations.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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: 18

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 LOT wrote it up.

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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 14, 2:56 PM CST, 7 hours 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 2:56 PM CST, 7 hours 4 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 14, 4:32 PM CST, 5 hours 28 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 14, 5:18 PM CST, 4 hours 42 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Local storm report, Jan 14, 5:26 PM CST, 4 hours 34 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Local storm report, Jan 14, 5:27 PM CST, 4 hours 33 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Local storm report, Jan 14, 5:29 PM CST, 4 hours 31 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Local storm report, Jan 14, 5:37 PM CST, 4 hours 23 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Local storm report, Jan 14, 5:55 PM CST, 4 hours 5 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Kane

When: January 14, 10:00 PM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Kane forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.939, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Ogle

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Ogle forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 42.043, -89.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lee

When: January 15, 1:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.746, -89.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, De Kalb

When: January 15, 1:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: De Kalb forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.894, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Grundy

When: January 15, 2:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Grundy forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.285, -88.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Kendall

When: January 15, 3:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Kendall forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.591, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Kankakee

When: January 15, 3:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Kankakee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.138, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Winnebago

When: January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Winnebago forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 42.336, -89.161 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Boone

When: January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 42.323, -88.823 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, La Salle

When: January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: La Salle forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.344, -88.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, McHenry

When: January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: McHenry forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 42.324, -88.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Livingston

When: January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Livingston forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 40.892, -88.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Ford

When: January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Ford forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 40.597, -88.223 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Iroquois

When: January 15, 5:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Iroquois forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 40.747, -87.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lake

When: January 15, 6:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 42.349, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Will

When: January 15, 6:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Will forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Du Page

When: January 15, 7:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Du Page forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.852, -88.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cook

When: January 15, 9:00 AM CST to January 16, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Cook forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

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

Every storm in Illinois in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, January 2009

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: 150291, 150287, 150286, 150288, 150295, 150294, 150299, 150284, 150285, 150297, 150289, 150298, 150300, 150301, 150290, 150296, 150292, 150293.