A high pressure system originating out of Canada settled into the region on April 10-12, 2012 providing clear skies, light winds and cold temperatures. The result was a hard freeze for three nights in a row as minimum temperatures plummeted into the 20s.
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.
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 DVN wrote it up.
A high pressure system originating out of Canada settled into the region on April 10-12, 2012 providing clear skies, light winds and cold temperatures. The result was a hard freeze for three nights in a row as minimum temperatures plummeted into the 20s. Most locations saw readings dip into the mid to upper 20s but a few spots reported temperatures in the lower 20s. Stanley, Iowa in Buchanan county was the coldest location with 21 degrees on April 11. After a record warm March which caused vegetation growth to be at least 4 weeks earlier than normal, the cold weather damaged sensitive crops. According to Radio Iowa, widespread frost and freezing temperatures for three nights in a row caused significant damage to crops including apples, grapes and strawberries. At least 50 to 70 percent of these crops were lost especially where temperatures fell to 25 degrees or lower. However, it is unknown the amount of damage in dollar amount.
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 Apr 10, 5:54 PM CST, 3 hours 6 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 401 AM CDT TUE APR 10 2012 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-110915- BUCHANAN-DELAWARE-DUBUQUE-BENTON-LINN-JONES-JACKSON-IOWA-JOHNSON- CEDAR-CLINTON-MUSCATINE-SCOTT-KEOKUK-WASHINGTON-LOUISA-JEFFERSON- HENRY IA-DES MOINES-VAN BUREN-LEE-JO DAVIESS-STEPHENSON-CARROLL- WHITESIDE-ROCK ISLAND-HENRY IL-BUREAU-PUTNAM-MERCER-HENDERSON- WARREN-HANCOCK-MCDONOUGH-SCOTLAND-CLARK- 401 AM CDT TUE APR 10 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL IOWA...NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST IOWA AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT BREEZY CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH LOW HUMIDITY LEVELS MAY RESULT IN AN ENHANCED FIRE RISK THIS AFTERNOON. A FREEZE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES WILL BOTTOM OUT IN THE 20S TO NEAR 30 DEGREES FOR SEVERAL HOURS LATE TONIGHT... WITH PATCHY FROST POSSIBLE. THIS WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO UNPROTECTED SENSITIVE PLANTS AND FRUIT TREES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SUB FREEZING TEMPERATURES...AND PATCHY TO AREAS OF FROST IS EXPECTED LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL SET UP ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY WITH A DAILY CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER APPEARS LOW AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.
The COOP observer at Galena reported a minimum temperature of 26 degrees.
The minimum temperature at Freeport was 25 degrees.
The COOP observer at Kewanee reported a minimum temperature of 29 degrees.
The minimum temperature at the Quad Cities International Airport near Moline was 32 degrees.
The COOP observer at Mount Carroll reported a minimum temperature of 24 degrees.
The COOP observer at Aledo reported a minimum temperature of 29 degrees.
The COOP observer at Sterling reported a minimum temperature of 30 degrees.
The minimum temperature at Macomb was 29 degrees.
The COOP observer at La Harpe reported a minimum temperature of 26 degrees.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, April 2012
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: 375722, 375727, 375717, 375721, 375725, 375726, 375718, 375724, 375729, 375723, 375719, 375720, 375728.