Extreme Cold in Illinois, January 15 to 16, 2009

Name: Extreme Cold in Illinois, January 15 to 16, 2009
Start: 2009-01-15T00:00
End: 2009-01-16T14:00
Location: Illinois

January 15 to 16, 2009 · NWS ILX · 21 events in 21 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 21 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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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 ILX wrote it up.

Bitterly cold air poured into central Illinois in the wake of a departing storm system. Thanks to clear skies over a fresh snow cover, early morning temperatures on January 15th and 16th plunged well below zero in much of central and eastern Illinois. In addition, brisk northwesterly winds created wind-chill values in the 25 below to 40 below zero range. As a result of the extreme cold, a man in Bloomington-Normal lost his life due to hypothermia.

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 Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 14, 5:44 PM CST, 6 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 5:44 PM CST, 6 hours 16 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, 3:04 PM CST, 8 hours 56 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

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, McLean

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: McLean forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 40.491, -88.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A man was found dead outside near a pond at an apartment complex in Normal on the morning of January 15th. An autopsy report indicated he died due to exposure to the extreme cold. Low temperatures were around 20 below zero with wind chills of 35 below to 40 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Knox

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.932, -90.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 25 below zero in much of Knox County, with wind chills around 35 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Stark

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Stark forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 41.093, -89.797 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 25 below zero with wind chills of 30 below to 35 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Marshall

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.033, -89.345 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 25 below zero in much of Marshall County, with wind chills of 30 below to 35 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Peoria

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Peoria forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 20 below zero in much of Peoria County, with wind chills around 35 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Woodford

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Woodford forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.211 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 25 below zero in much of Woodford County, with wind chills around 35 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Tazewell

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Tazewell forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were 20 below to 25 below zero in much of Tazewell County, with wind chills around 35 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Fulton

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Fulton forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 40.473, -90.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were 20 below to 25 below zero in much of Fulton County, with wind chills of 30 below to 35 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Schuyler

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Schuyler forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.158, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were 15 below to 20 below zero in much of Schuyler County, with wind chills around 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cass

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 39.974, -90.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were 15 below to 20 below zero in much of Cass County, with wind chills around 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Menard

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Menard forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.027, -89.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were 15 below zero in much of Menard County, with wind chills around 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mason

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Mason forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.240, -89.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 15 below zero in much of Mason County, with wind chills around 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Logan

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.125, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 15 below zero in much of Logan County, with wind chills around 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, De Witt

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: De Witt forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 40.175, -88.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 15 below zero in much of Dewitt County, with wind chills around 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Macon

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Macon forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 39.860, -88.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 15 below zero in much of Macon County, with wind chills of 25 below to 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Piatt

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Piatt forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 40.010, -88.591 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 15 below zero in much of Piatt County, with wind chills around 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Champaign

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Champaign forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.140, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were 15 below to 20 below zero in much of Champaign County, with wind chills around 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Douglas

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 39.770, -88.217 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 15 below zero in much of Douglas County, with wind chills of 25 below to 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Coles

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Coles forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 39.520, -88.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 10 below zero in much of Coles County, with wind chills of 25 below to 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Vermilion

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Vermilion forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.183, -87.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were around 10 below zero in much of Vermilion County, with wind chills of 25 below to 30 below zero.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Edgar

When: January 15, 12:00 AM CST to January 16, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Edgar forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 39.679, -87.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low temperatures were 10 below to 15 below zero in much of Edgar County, with wind chills around 25 below zero.

The people who died

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
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, McLean	2009-01-15	37	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 149708, 151556, 151558, 151559, 151560, 151561, 151562, 151563, 151564, 151565, 151566, 151567, 151568, 151569, 151570, 151572, 151573, 151574, 151575, 151576, 151577.