An area of low pressure tracking from the Dakotas southeastward into the Ohio River Valley brought snow to central and southeast Illinois from the morning of December 24th to the early morning hours of December 25th. with many locations along and north of a Canton to Bloomington-Normal line picking up around 6 inches.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
An area of low pressure tracking from the Dakotas southeastward into the Ohio River Valley brought snow to central and southeast Illinois from the morning of December 24th to the early morning hours of December 25th. Widespread 3 to 5-inch amounts were common...with many locations along and north of a Canton to Bloomington-Normal line picking up around 6 inches. Numerous traffic accidents were reported on Christmas Eve, one of which killed a man in McLean County.
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 24, 5:42 AM CST, 4 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 542 AM CST FRI DEC 24 2010 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 225 AM CST FRI DEC 24 2010 HAD AN EARLY TASTE OF THE SNOW DEVELOP LATE EVENING...AS A NARROW FRONTOGENETIC BAND STARTED WORKING ITS WAY ACROSS THE CWA. A QUICK INCH OF SNOW WAS REPORTED IN SPRINGFIELD BY MIDNIGHT. THIS SNOW HAS BEEN DIMINISHING THE LAST HOUR OR TWO. REGIONAL RADAR MOSAICS SHOWING LARGER MIXED PRECIPITATION AREA PUSHING NORTHEAST INTO CENTRAL MISSOURI...WHILE A LARGER AREA OF LIGHT SNOW HAD OVERSPREAD IOWA. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWED TWO WAVES ALOFT...ONE FROM MINNESOTA TO NEBRASKA AND THE OTHER ACROSS EASTERN NEW MEXICO. SNOWFALL THROUGH CHRISTMAS MORNING IS THE PRIMARY FORECAST CHALLENGE THIS MORNING. SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY... NORTHERN STREAM WAVE WILL BE OUR WEATHER MAKER...AND IS PROJECTED TO BE CENTERED OVER ILLINOIS BY MIDNIGHT. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOWING A LOT OF DRY AIR BELOW 10KFT TO OVERCOME ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE CWA...BUT COLUMN SHOULD RAPIDLY MOISTEN AS DECENT ISENTROPIC LIFT PUNCHES IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST. WILL GO WITH CATEGORICAL POPS WEST OF I-55 THIS MORNING. PROBABLY WILL BE CLOSER TO MIDDAY BEFORE AREAS NEAR THE INDIANA BORDER GET IN ON THE ACTION. WILL HAVE CATEGORICAL POPS AREA WIDE THIS AFTERNOON AND ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE CWA THIS EVENING...BEFORE THE SNOW RAPIDLY TAPERS OFF FROM THE NORTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT. CURRENTLY APPEARS THAT 3-4 INCH ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE FAIRLY UNIFORM OVER THE CWA. SEE NO NEED TO CHANGE THE TIMING OF THE CURRENT WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. DEEPENING CYCLONIC FLOW TO PREVAIL OVER THE MIDWEST THIS WEEKEND...AS THE SOUTHERN STREAM WAVE EVOLVES INTO A NOREASTER GOING UP THE EASTERN SEABOARD. WILL KEEP LOW CHANCE POPS GOING CHRISTMAS MORNING ACROSS THE EASTERN CWA...WITH MAINLY FLURRIES ELSEWHERE DURING THE DAY. FLOW COMING OFF LAKE MICHIGAN SHOULD CONTINUE TO BRING A FEW FLURRIES ACROSS THE EASTERN CWA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE TO PUSH ACROSS THE MIDWEST EARLY IN THE NEW WEEK. DEEP EASTERN TROUGH/CUTOFF LOW SHOULD MOVE OFF THE EAST COAST ON MONDAY...ALLOWING THE SKINNY RIDGE ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS TO BEGIN TO BUILD EAST AND FLATTEN. GFS/ECMWF BOTH SHOWING A SMALL SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH THE STATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON OR EVENING...BUT IS NOT EXPECTED TO PROVIDE MUCH OF AN EFFECT ON OUR WEATHER AT THIS TIME. MAIN FORECAST CONCERN IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD WILL BE WITH A LARGER SHORTWAVE MOVING OUT OF THE ROCKIES. SOME TIMING DIFFERENCES WITH THE MODELS ON HOW FAST THE MOISTURE RETURNS AHEAD OF THIS...WITH THE GFS BRINGING PRECIPITATION IN AS EARLY AS WEDNESDAY AS WARMER AIR ADVECTS NORTHEAST TOWARD OUR AREA. MODEL DIFFERENCES WIDEN THROUGH MIDWEEK. ALTHOUGH BOTH SHOW SOME SORT OF CYCLOGENESIS AND WARMER WEATHER OVER OUR AREA WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...ENSEMBLES ARE SHOWING QUITE A BIT OF SPREAD SO CONFIDENCE IN ANY PARTICULAR SOLUTION IS NOT VERY HIGH AT THIS TIME. GEELHART && .AVIATION... ISSUED 542 AM CST FRI DEC 24 2010 CONDITIONS AT ALL TAF SITES WILL START OK DUE TO LOTS OF DRY AIR IN THE LOWER LAYERS KEEPING CIGS AND VIS GOOD. HOWEVER...WINTER SYSTEM THAT WILL BE MOVING INTO ILLINOIS WILL AFFECT EACH TAF SITE. FIRST HOUR OF PCPN WILL BE USED TO MOISTEN UP THE LOWER LAYER...AND THEN SNOW WILL BEGIN AND INCREASE IN INTENSITY. PIA SHOULD SEE SNOW BEGIN AT 17Z...BMI AND SPI AT 18Z...AND DEC AND CMI AT 19Z. BASED ON MODEL DATA...SNOW WILL CONTINUE AT ALL TAF SITES THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. SNOW SHOULD THEN TAPER OFF WITH VIS IMPROVING TO 3 MILES AFTER 03Z...THEN BE REDUCED TO FLURRIES FROM 09-11Z. SNOWFALL RATES WILL PROBABLY BE AROUND 1/2 INCH PER HOUR FOR SEVERAL HOURS. WINDS WILL START EASTERLY AND THEN BECOME NORTHERLY THIS EVENING...AND THEN NORTHERLY AFTER THE SERVICE. AUTEN && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST SATURDAY FOR ILZ027>031- 036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 603 AM CST FRI DEC 24 2010 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-251200- CASS-CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND- DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-FULTON-JASPER-KNOX-LAWRENCE-LOGAN- MACON-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-MENARD-MORGAN-MOULTRIE-PEORIA-PIATT- RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT-SHELBY-STARK-TAZEWELL-VERMILION- WOODFORD- 603 AM CST FRI DEC 24 2010 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST SATURDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP THIS MORNING NORTHWEST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER...AND THEN SPREAD ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS. SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS AROUND NOON. WIDESPREAD ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 4 INCHES IS LIKELY THROUGH TONIGHT. THE SNOW SHOULD TAPER OFF TO FLURRIES AFTER MIDNIGHT. HOLIDAY TRAVELERS AND LAST MINUTE SHOPPERS ARE ADVISED TO USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING TODAY AS ROADS WILL QUICKLY BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. AUTEN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous weather observers across Fulton County reported around 6 inches of snow.
Numerous weather observers across Peoria County reported around 6 inches of snow.
Numerous weather observers across Tazewell County reported around 6 inches of snow.
Numerous weather observers across Woodford County reported around 6 inches of snow.
Numerous weather observers across McLean County reported around 6 inches of snow. Snow covered roads resulted in numerous traffic accidents on Christmas Eve, one of which killed a man on I-55 near Shirley, IL when his automobile lost control and was struck by a semi-truck.
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, McLean | 2010-12-24 | 37 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, December 2010
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: 267352, 267355, 267356, 267357, 267354.