Extreme Cold in Illinois, January 14 to 16, 2009

Name: Extreme Cold in Illinois, January 14 to 16, 2009
Start: 2009-01-14T20:00
End: 2009-01-16T11:00
Location: Illinois

January 14 to 16, 2009 · NWS DVN · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
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.

After the two heavy snow events of January 9-10 and January 13-14, snow depths ranged from 4 inches at Burlington to 15 inches at Cedar Rapids. Widespread snow depths of 6 to 12 inches were measured across eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois. The deep snow cover set the stage for a strong surge of arctic air that brought record minimum temperatures to the region on January 14-16, 2009. In fact, an all-time record low temperature was established at Cedar Rapids, Iowa on January 15 when the mercury dropped to 29 below. All of eastern Iowa, northwest and west central Illinois and extreme northeast Missouri experienced extreme cold. Actual temperatures were as low as 20 to 40 below north of Highway 34 with 10 to 20 below south of Highway 34, with wind chills to 30 to 50 below.

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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 14, 3:00 PM CST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 3:00 PM CST, 5 hours before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 14, 4:48 PM CST, 3 hours 12 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 14, 2:34 PM CST, 5 hours 26 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 14, 2:49 PM CST, 5 hours 11 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 14, 2:57 PM CST, 5 hours 3 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 14, 3:01 PM CST, 4 hours 59 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 14, 3:36 PM CST, 4 hours 24 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 14, 4:22 PM CST, 3 hours 38 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Jo Daviess

When: January 14, 8:00 PM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Jo Daviess forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.366, -90.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Rock Island

When: January 14, 8:00 PM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Rock Island forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 41.467, -90.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A record low temperature was established at Moline on January 16 when the temperature plunged to -27. The previous record was -23 set in 1888.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mercer

When: January 14, 9:00 PM CST to January 16, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Mercer forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.205, -90.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Carroll

When: January 14, 10:00 PM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Carroll forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.069, -89.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Henry

When: January 14, 10:00 PM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Henry forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Stephenson

When: January 14, 10:00 PM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Stephenson forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Whiteside

When: January 14, 10:00 PM CST to January 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Whiteside forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hancock

When: January 14, 11:00 PM CST to January 16, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Hancock forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.404, -91.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Henderson

When: January 14, 11:00 PM CST to January 16, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Henderson forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.818, -90.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, McDonough

When: January 14, 11:00 PM CST to January 16, 9:00 AM CST
Where: McDonough forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.456, -90.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Warren

When: January 14, 11:00 PM CST to January 16, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.849, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Bureau

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Bureau forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.404, -89.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Putnam

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Putnam forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.205, -89.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 151120, 151124, 151122, 151116, 151119, 151125, 151127, 151117, 151118, 151121, 151126, 151115, 151123.