An area of low pressure tracking through the Tennessee River Valley spread snow as far north as southeast Illinois. Accumulations of 6 to 7 inches occurred across Lawrence County, with lighter amounts noted further north toward the I-70 corridor.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 through the Tennessee River Valley spread snow as far north as southeast Illinois. Accumulations of 6 to 7 inches occurred across Lawrence County, with lighter amounts noted further north toward the I-70 corridor.
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 28, 2:40 PM CST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 240 PM CST FRI DEC 28 2012 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 300 PM CST FRI DEC 28 2012 A COUPLE OF WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL HIGHLIGHT THE FORECAST FOR THE NEXT WEEK...ALONG WITH TEMPERATURES REMAINING AT OR BELOW NORMAL. THE FIRST STORM WILL BE TONIGHT...AND THE SECOND WILL COME ON NEW YEARS EVE DAY AND OVERNIGHT. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. THE FIRST SYSTEM IS ALREADY PUSHING INTO OUR SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES...WHERE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR 2-3 INCHES OF SNOW HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TONIGHT. WE INCLUDED 6 OF OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES...FROM EFFINGHAM TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. HEAVIER SNOW OF 3 TO 6 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE SOUTHEAST OF OUR COUNTIES...IN SOUTHERN INDIANA, NW KENTUCKY, AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. THE BULK OF THE SNOW IN OUR AREA WILL FALL THIS EVENING. TRAVEL WILL QUICKLY BECOME HAZARDOUS BY EARLY EVENING AS ROADS BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY. THE NORTHERN EDGE OF MEASURABLE SNOW MAY REACH AS FAR NW AS TAYLORVILLE TO DECATUR TO CHAMPAIGN...BUT ONLY A DUSTING SHOULD REACH THAT FAR TO THE NW. SOUTH WINDS AS THE SNOW BEGINS WILL SHIFT TO NORTHWEST AS THE LOW PRESSURE MOVES AWAY TO THE SOUTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT. WINDS SHOULD NOT BE ALL THAT STRONG DURING THIS SNOW EVENT...WHICH SHOULD KEEP DRIFTING DOWN. ON SATURDAY...A SHORTWAVE AND THE CENTER OF THE COLD POOL IN THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS ILLINOIS. THAT WILL SET THE STAGE FOR SCATTERED FLURRIES ACROSS OUR FORECAST AREA. NO MEASURABLE SNOW IS EXPECTED...AS THE FLURRIES TAPER OFF LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. CLEARING SKIES SHOULD DEVELOP SATURDAY NIGHT...AS COLD HIGH PRESSURE ADVANCES INTO THE AREA FROM WEST TO EAST. LOW TEMPS WILL BE CLOSELY TIED TO THE TIMING OF THE CLEARING. WE ARE PLANNING ON HAVING FAVORABLE RADIATIONAL COOLING FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT IN THE WEST...WHERE WE WENT WITH SOME SINGLE DIGIT LOWS TOWARD GALESBURG AND ALTONA. SOUTHEASTERN AREAS MAY EVEN SEE LOWS AROUND 15F. SUNDAY SHOULD BE MOSTLY SUNNY WITH SOUTHERLY WINDS DEVELOPING BEHIND THE DEPARTING HIGH PRESSURE. SOME WARMING ALOFT MAY SHOULD HELP TEMPS CLIMB TO AROUND FREEZING ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST. CLOUDS ARRIVING SUNDAY NIGHT WILL HELP KEEP LOWS IN THE MID 20S AHEAD OF THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM. LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. A COUPLE OF WEATHER FEATURES ARE EXPECTED TO MERGE ACROSS ILLINOIS TO PRODUCE A LIGHT SNOW EVENT NEW YEARS EVE DAY AND OVERNIGHT. A LOW LEVEL COLD FRONT ARRIVING FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL INTERACT WITH A 500 MB VORT MAX AND A 170KT 300MB JET TO GENERATE A BAND OF SNOW ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THE SNOW BAND IS FORECAST TO OVERSPREAD THE AREA FROM SOUTHWEST TO EAST-NORTHEAST STARTING MONDAY MORNING. NEW YEARS EVE NIGHT...A SECOND SURGE OF 500MB ENERGY AND AN INTENSIFICATION OF THE 300MB JET TO 185KT WILL KEEP SNOW SHOWERS GOING FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT AS WELL. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF AFTER MIDNIGHT...AS THE COLD FRONT DEPARTS FARTHER TO THE EAST AND ISENTROPIC DOWNGLIDE BEGINS TO DOMINATE THE SYNOPTIC FORCING. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE A TOUGH CALL THIS EARLY...BUT 2-4 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF OUR AREA...SOUTH OF A LINE FROM RUSHVILLE TO LINCOLN TO CHAMPAIGN. THE LOWER TOTALS WILL BE IN THE NORTH...WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS BETWEEN I-72 AND I-70. WARMER AIR ALOFT MAY REDUCE SNOW AMOUNTS SOUTH OF I-70...BUT STILL IN THE 2-3 INCH RANGE. GENERALLY DRY AND COOL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FROM NEW YEARS DAY THROUGH FRIDAY...AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS THE MAIN PRESSURE FEATURE. A WEAK COLD FRONT AND 500MB SHORTWAVE IS FORECAST TO PASS ACROSS IL ON THURSDAY...SO SOME FLURRIES MAY DEVELOP THAT DAY...BUT WE WILL CONTINUE WITH A DRY FORECAST FOR NOW. SHIMON && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1202 PM CST FRI DEC 28 2012 A COUPLE OF SHORTWAVE TROUGHS IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL RESULT IN DEVELOPING IFR CONDITIONS AT THE CENTRAL IL TAF SITES THIS EVENING. IN THE MEANTIME...OVERALL MVFR CIGS WILL BE RULE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS EVENING AROUND 02-04Z THE CIGS WILL DROP TO IFR LEVELS AS THE SHORTWAVES APPROACH AND AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAIN HIGH. INCREASING LIFT DUE TO A STRONGER SHORTWAVE AND JET MAX FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL PRODUCE LOW CIGS AND A SWATH OF SNOW IN SOUTHERN IL. THE TAF SITES ALONG I-72 WILL BE ON THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THIS SNOW BAND...SO ADJUSTED VSBY AND WEATHER ACCORDINGLY. THE SNOW SHOULD BE BRIEF WITH MOST OF IT COMING TO AN END BY EARLY MORNING...WITH ONLY FLURRIES LINGERING AROUND DAYBREAK. CIGS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE TOWARD MVFR LEVELS AT THE SAME TIME WHEN THE STRONGER SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVES INTO WESTERN INDIANA. MILLER && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST SATURDAY FOR ILZ066-068-071>073. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 330 PM CST FRI DEC 28 2012 ILZ027>031-036>038-040-041-291200- FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-PEORIA-SCHUYLER-STARK-TAZEWELL- WOODFORD- 330 PM CST FRI DEC 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE SNOW FLURRIES THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. VERY LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION IS ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ANOTHER PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ON NEW YEARS EVE DAY AND NIGHT...WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED. ILZ042>044-047>053-291200- CASS-CHRISTIAN-DE WITT-LOGAN-MACON-MENARD-MORGAN-PIATT-SANGAMON- SCOTT- 330 PM CST FRI DEC 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE LIGHT SNOW AND FLURRIES THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. VERY LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION IS ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ANOTHER PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ON NEW YEARS EVE DAY AND NIGHT...WITH A COUPLE INCHES OF ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED. ILZ045-046-054>057-061>063-291200- CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-COLES-CUMBERLAND-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-MOULTRIE-SHELBY- VERMILION- 330 PM CST FRI DEC 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE SOME LIGHT SNOW THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM LESS THAN ONE HALF INCH ALONG I-74...TO 1 TO 2 INCHES ALONG I-70 BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ANOTHER PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ON NEW YEARS EVE DAY AND NIGHT...WITH A COUPLE INCHES OF ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED. ILZ066>068-071>073-291200- CLAY-CRAWFORD-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 330 PM CST FRI DEC 28 2012 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST SATURDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE SLIPPERY TRAVEL CONDITIONS THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES ARE ANTICIPATED BY LATE TONIGHT...BEFORE THE SNOW TAPERS OFF TO FLURRIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ANOTHER PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ON NEW YEARS EVE DAY AND NIGHT...WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED. MILLER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow spread across Lawrence County during the evening of December 28th, then tapered off an came to an end by the early morning of the 29th. Total accumulations were generally 6 to 7 inches across the county, including 7.0 inches measured by the Lawrenceville Cooperative Weather Observer.
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, December 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 426253.