A slow-moving storm system brought a prolonged period of snow to central Illinois from the evening of January 11th through the morning of January 13th. Snow began across the Illinois River Valley during the evening of January 11th as low pressure developed over the Texas panhandle.
Every event with a place to put it; 30 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 slow-moving storm system brought a prolonged period of snow to central Illinois from the evening of January 11th through the morning of January 13th. Snow began across the Illinois River Valley during the evening of January 11th as low pressure developed over the Texas panhandle. As the low tracked slowly northeastward into Kentucky, light to moderate snow continued through January 12th before gradually tapering off and coming to an end by midday of the 13th. Widespread snowfall in excess of 6 inches occurred along and north of the I-70 corridor...with as much as 12 to 16 inches falling along and southwest of a Macomb to Lincoln line. The highest observed snowfall total was 16.0 inches just west of Jacksonville in Morgan County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads.
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 11, 5:54 PM CST, 6 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
30 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Weather observers measured 6 to 7 inches of snow across the northwest half of Effingham County...including 6.5 inches in Effingham. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 10 to 16 inches of snow across Morgan County...including 16.0 inches 5 miles west of Jacksonville and 15.0 inches in Jacksonville. The 15.0 inch report set a new 2-day snowfall record for the Jacksonville Cooperative Observer. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 12 to 15 inches of snow across Scott County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 8 to 11 inches of snow across Christian County...including 11.2 inches 3 miles west of Edinburg and 10.0 inches in Pana. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 6 to 9 inches of snow across Shelby County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured around 6 inches of snow northwest of I-70 in Cumberland County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 12 to 15 inches of snow across Cass County...including 14.6 inches 3 miles southeast of Bluff Springs, 13.0 inches 2 miles south of Philadelphia, and 12.4 inches in Arenzville. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 10 to 13 inches of snow across Sangamon County...including 11.5 inches in Springfield, 10.7 inches 1 miles east of Chatham, and 10.2 inches 2 miles west of Riverton. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 12 to 14 inches of snow across Schuyler County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 6 to 9 inches of snow across Coles County...including 7.6 inches 4 miles south of Charleston and 7.1 inches in Mattoon. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 11 to 13 inches of snow across Menard County...including 12.3 inches 1 mile north of Athens and 11.2 inches 8 miles east of Petersburg. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 9 to 13 inches of snow across Fulton County...including 12.7 inches 1 mile south of Canton, 12.2 inches in Fairview, and 11.9 inches in Ellisville. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 8 to 10 inches of snow across Macon County...including 10.0 inches in Macon, 9.5 inches 2 miles south of Decatur, and 9.0 inches 1 mile north of Mt. Zion. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 9 to 11 inches of snow across Knox County...including 9.3 inches in Gilson. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 8 to 10 inches of snow across Moultrie County...including 9.0 inches in Sullivan. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured around 6 inches of snow across northwestern Clark County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 11 to 13 inches of snow across Mason County...including 12.0 inches 1 mile south of Havana and 12.0 inches in Manito. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 9 to 12 inches of snow across Tazewell County...including 12.0 inches in Delavan, 12.0 inches 1 mile southeast of Pekin, 11.0 inches in Hopedale, and 10.0 inches 2 miles northeast of Washington. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 7 to 10 inches of snow across Douglas County...including 9.0 inches in Arthur. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Edgar County...including 7.0 inches 1 miles north of Paris. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 9 to 12 inches of snow across Logan County...including 11.7 inches at the National Weather Service office 2 miles east of Lincoln and 10.0 inches in Mt. Pulaski. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 10 to 14 inches of snow across Peoria County...including 13.8 inches 1 mile south of Dunlap, 13.0 inches in Peoria Heights, 12.5 inches in Chillicothe, and 11.2 inches in Peoria. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 6 to 9 inches of snow across Piatt County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 6 to 12 inches of snow across McLean County...including 11.8 inches in Chenoa, 10.6 inches 2 miles northwest of Normal, and 8.0 inches in Leroy. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured around 6 inches of snow across the southeastern half of Vermilion County...including 6.0 inches 3 miles southwest of Bismarck. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 7 to 10 inches of snow across DeWitt County...including 9.0 inches in Lane. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 8 to 10 inches of snow across Stark County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 9 to 13 inches of snow across Woodford County...including 13.0 inches in Germantown Hills, 10.0 inches in Eureka, and 9.1 inches 2 miles east of Spring Bay. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across the southern half of Champaign County...including 6.7 inches in Mahomet and 6.1 inches 2 miles east-northeast of Urbana. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
Weather observers measured 8 to 10 inches of snow across Marshall County. Numerous traffic accidents occurred due to snow-covered roads. The snow was heavy and wet, which made plowing of roads difficult.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, January 2019
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: 797574, 797583, 797594, 797565, 797596, 797568, 797563, 797592, 797593, 797567, 797582, 797575, 797578, 797576, 797584, 797566, 797580, 797602, 797572, 797573, 797577, 797588, 797590, 797581, 797603, 797571, 797599, 797605, 797564, 797579.