Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 11 to 12, 2019

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 11 to 12, 2019
Start: 2019-01-11T14:00
End: 2019-01-12T11:00
Location: Illinois

January 11 to 12, 2019 · NWS PAH · 19 events in 19 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 19 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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 19

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 PAH wrote it up.

Widespread snow, mixed at times with sleet, spread across southern Illinois during the afternoon hours on January 11th. This was in response to surface low pressure that developed across the Texas and Oklahoma region. This low then moved east-northeastward across the Missouri Bootheel by early evening on the 12th. Warmer temperatures at the surface and aloft gradually changed the precipitation to rain from south to north. The changeover occurred during the overnight hours of the 11th through the morning of the 12th. Sleet was not widespread enough to significantly lower snowfall amounts. The heaviest snowfall amounts from this system were from the Marion/Carbondale area north and west. The highest amount was 7 inches at Pinckneyville (Perry County). Amounts from 4 to 6 inches were the norm from the Marion/Carbondale area up to Mount Vernon. Amounts tapered down to an inch or two along the Ohio River from Cairo to Metropolis. There were significant travel impacts during the evening hours and into the overnight hours, as snow-covered roads led to numerous accidents. Portions of I-57 and I-64 were closed for a period of time in southern Illinois. At least 10 to 15 vehicles slid off roads in Johnson County. Snowfall rates were near an inch per hour during the evening of the 11th in some areas. At Desoto in Jackson County, 3.5 inches fell in three hours.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 heavy snow, 8 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Jefferson

When: January 11, 2:00 PM CST to January 12, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Perry

When: January 11, 3:00 PM CST to January 12, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Franklin

When: January 11, 4:00 PM CST to January 12, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jackson

When: January 11, 4:00 PM CST to January 12, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wayne

When: January 11, 4:00 PM CST to January 12, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Alexander

When: January 11, 4:00 PM CST to January 12, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Alexander forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Union

When: January 11, 4:00 PM CST to January 12, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Pulaski

When: January 11, 4:00 PM CST to January 12, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Williamson

When: January 11, 5:00 PM CST to January 12, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Williamson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hamilton

When: January 11, 5:00 PM CST to January 12, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wabash

When: January 11, 5:00 PM CST to January 12, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Wabash forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Edwards

When: January 11, 5:00 PM CST to January 12, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Edwards forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, White

When: January 11, 5:00 PM CST to January 12, 7:00 AM CST
Where: White forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Massac

When: January 11, 5:00 PM CST to January 12, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Massac forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Johnson

When: January 11, 5:00 PM CST to January 12, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Pope

When: January 11, 5:00 PM CST to January 12, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Pope forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Saline

When: January 11, 6:00 PM CST to January 12, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Saline forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Hardin

When: January 11, 6:00 PM CST to January 12, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Hardin forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Gallatin

When: January 11, 6:00 PM CST to January 12, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Gallatin forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, January 2019

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 796807, 796808, 796809, 796810, 796812, 796858, 796862, 796863, 796811, 796813, 796820, 796830, 796836, 796865, 796866, 796867, 796815, 796868, 796869.