A fast-moving clipper system tracked from the Northern Plains across central Illinois on January 5th. Snow developed along and north of this feature during the afternoon and evening of the 5th, then slowly tapered off and came to an end by the early morning of January 6th.
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.
A fast-moving clipper system tracked from the Northern Plains across central Illinois on January 5th. Snow developed along and north of this feature during the afternoon and evening of the 5th, then slowly tapered off and came to an end by the early morning of January 6th. Total snow accumulations of 5 to 7 inches were reported along and north of a Galesburg...to Peoria...to Chenoa line.
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 5, 3:15 PM CST, 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 315 PM CST Mon Jan 5 2015 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight) ISSUED AT 313 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015 The 12z models continue to show a short duration, high-intensity snow event this evening. Light snow has already developed across our SW counties, which the HRRR shows will expand northward by 6 pm and intensify this evening. The surface low track is progged to go across IL on a line from Pittsfield to Effingham, which generally fits our current snowfall forecast coverage. One additional concern is trying to pinpoint the location of the traditional 60-80 mile wide band of heaviest snowfall. At this point, it looks like it will extend along and just north of the I-74 corridor. Satellite and radar images are confirming the development of a robust frontogenetical circulation upstream across NE SD, SW MN, and Iowa. Model analysis shows that to be in the 850-700 mb layer. The strongest axis of this F-gen circ is projected to advance across our northern counties this evening. Bufkit sounding analysis for sites along the I-74 corridor continues to indicate the co- location of the max omega, 80+% RH, and dendritic growth zone for several hours this evening. Those conditions will translate to the production of large, fluffy snowflakes. Snowfall rates in this axis will likely climb between 1-1.5" per hour. Additional small- scale bands of heavier snow could develop in areas farther south and north of the primary band, so we kept the snow totals on the higher side of advisory all the way through Lincoln to Mattoon, where a range of 2-5" is expected. A sharp southern edge remains indicated by most of the model suite, with locations south of Springfield and Mattoon likely seeing a dusting to 1 inch. In addition, after coordination with DVN, LOT, and IND, we decided to upgrade the I-74 corridor counties from Advisory to Warning due to the potential for more widespread 6-7" snowfall totals. The southeast winds this evening will not be much stronger that 10 mph, but the fluffy snow may be light enough for some minor drifting along roadways. Snowfall will rapidly diminish from west to east late this evening and after midnight, as the clipper races into southern Indiana/ Kentucky and weakens. Additional snow accums after midnight will be light, with the best chances of more than a half inch mainly east of Champaign to Paris. Most areas will just see some lingering flurries for a few hours after midnight. Low temps tonight will drop into the 5-10 range north, with around 20 from Flora to Lawrenceville. && .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Monday) ISSUED AT 313 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015 The bitterly cold airmass will dominate the remainder of the forecast. Models are still on track with the intense cold that will follow tonight's clipper. Tuesday will see skies begin to clear out from west to east during the afternoon, and W-NW winds increase. Blowing and drifting snow may develop as the fluffy snow gets pushed around, causing travel problems on north-south roads. On Wednesday, an unusually strong surface high, on the order of 1058 mb, will build southeast through the Dakotas, before settling into the Ohio Valley by early Thursday. The strong pressure contrast will result in northwest winds of 15-25 mph Tuesday night and Wednesday, with some gusts to over 30 mph. Lobe of -24C air at 850 mb will pivot through the Midwest on Wednesday. Highs on Wednesday likely to remain below zero across the northern CWA, with lows Wednesday night 10-15 below zero north of I-74. Wind chill warnings and advisories will be needed for late Tuesday night into Thursday morning, as most of the forecast area sees wind chills 15-25 below with lower than -25 across the north. Have decided to hold off on adding wind chill headlines to the mix, due to the winter storm expected tonight across much of the same area. The next clipper system is projected to remain across southern Canada on Thursday, dragging a cold front across northern IL Thursday night. At this point, we are keeping snow out of the forecast for Thur night. However, as the system becomes better defined in a couple days, we may need to add a mention of light snow for at least our northern counties. Behind that cold front we will see a reinforcing push of cold air, but not as cold as the mid-week airmass. We still expect very cold conditions as wind chills remain below zero on Friday morning and especially Saturday morning when -10F wind chills develop. For the weekend, we are still seeing phasing differences in the northern and southern jet branches. A couple of shortwaves could progress across IL during the weekend, but timing remains a question. There would be a period of light snow with any weak disturbances that move across the area. Some relief from the cold is projected for next Monday, as highs climb into the upper 20s and lower 30s. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Tuesday afternoon) ISSUED AT 1150 AM CST MON JAN 5 2015 Not much of a shift in the forecast overall. Mid level clouds moving in just ahead of the Clipper system. Snow moving in this afternoon and spreading through the evening. Dropping fcst to IFR/LIFR with the heaviest of the snowfall. VV should be limited particularly in PIA, BMI and CMI, associated with the heaviest of the snowfall rates. Snowfall max generally between 00z and 06z, though moderate snowfall in scattered areas possible between 06z and 12z, though very small scale and not worth a mention just yet. Switching the winds to more northwesterly after the system moves out in the morning and breaking up the cigs mid morning...starting the trend, though confidence in the timing is low. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING until 6 AM CST Tuesday FOR ILZ027>031-037- 038-045-046. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY until 6 AM CST Tuesday FOR ILZ036- 041>044-053>057. && SHORT TERM...HJS/Shimon LONG TERM...Shimon AVIATION...HJS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 256 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015 ILZ027>031-037-038-061200- KNOX-MARSHALL-MCLEAN-PEORIA-STARK-TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 256 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AN ALBERTA CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHERN HALF OF ILLINOIS STARTING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING 5-7 INCHES OF SNOW TO AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF I-74. ROADS WILL QUICKLY BECOME SLICK AND SNOW COVERED THIS EVENING...SO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE DRIVING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ARCTIC AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA AND BRING BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES TO CENTRAL ILLINOIS FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. COMBINED WITH THE WIND...WIND CHILLS OF -25 TO -30 ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED. ILZ036-041>044-053>057-061200- COLES-DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-FULTON-LOGAN-MACON-MASON-MOULTRIE- PIATT- 256 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AN ALBERTA CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHERN HALF OF ILLINOIS STARTING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING 3-5 INCHES OF SNOW TO AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A MACOMB TO PARIS LINE. ROADS WILL QUICKLY BECOME SLICK AND SNOW COVERED THIS EVENING...SO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE DRIVING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ARCTIC AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA AND BRING BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES TO CENTRAL ILLINOIS FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. COMBINED WITH THE WIND...WIND CHILLS OF -20 TO -25 ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED. ILZ045-046-061200- CHAMPAIGN-VERMILION- 256 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AN ALBERTA CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHERN HALF OF ILLINOIS STARTING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING 5-7 INCHES OF SNOW TO AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A GALESBURG TO DANVILLE LINE. ROADS WILL QUICKLY BECOME SLICK AND SNOW COVERED THIS EVENING...SO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE DRIVING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ARCTIC AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA AND BRING BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES TO CENTRAL ILLINOIS FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. COMBINED WITH THE WIND...WIND CHILLS OF -20 TO -25 ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED. ILZ040-047>052-061>063-061200- CASS-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CUMBERLAND-MENARD-MORGAN-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER- SCOTT-SHELBY- 256 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AN ALBERTA CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN AND CENTRAL LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING 1-2 INCHES OF SNOW TO AREAS SOUTH OF A MACOMB TO PARIS LINE. ROADS CLOUD BECOME SLICK AND SNOW COVERED THIS EVENING...SO USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ARCTIC AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA AND BRING BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES TO CENTRAL ILLINOIS FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. COMBINED WITH THE WIND...WIND CHILLS OF -15 TO -25 ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED. ILZ066>068-071>073-061200- CLAY-CRAWFORD-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 256 PM CST MON JAN 5 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ARCTIC AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA AND BRING BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES TO SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. COMBINED WITH THE WIND...WIND CHILLS OF AROUND -15 ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED. HJS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Weather observers reported around 6 inches of snow across Peoria County...including 5.6 inches 1 mile southeast of Dunlap and 6.0 inches 5 miles northwest of Peoria. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered and hazardous roads.
Weather observers reported between 6 and 7 inches of snow across Knox County...including 5.5 inches in Gilson, 6.2 inches in Knoxville, and 6.8 inches 1 mile north of Abingdon. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered and hazardous roads.
Weather observers reported around 6 inches of snow across Woodford County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered and hazardous roads.
Weather observers reported around 6 inches of snow across Marshall County...including 5.6 inches in Hopewell. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered and hazardous roads.
Weather observers reported around 6 inches of snow across Stark County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered and hazardous roads.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, January 2015
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: 556013, 556003, 556015, 556012, 556014.