Illinois, 2021

Frost and Freeze in Illinois, April 19 to 21, 2021

April 19 to 21, 2021 · NWS PAH · 19 events in 19 counties and zones

A late-season blast of cold air brought sub-freezing temperatures to some areas on the night of the 20th. Lows ranged from 31 to 33 degrees.

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.

A late-season blast of cold air brought sub-freezing temperatures to some areas on the night of the 20th. Lows ranged from 31 to 33 degrees. The arrival of the cold air was heralded by some light snow on the evening of the 19th. Accumulations ranged from a trace to an inch. Across the Ohio River at Paducah, KY, this was the latest measurable snowfall on record. The snow had no societal impact. There were no immediate reports of crop damage due to the cold air. A strong cold front moved southeast across the region on the evening of the 19th. A low pressure system then moved northeast along the front, passing over the Tennessee Valley on the 20th. Gusty north winds on the back side of the low ushered in the cold air.

What forecasters said that day

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 19, 2:05 PM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 19, 2:05 PM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Paducah KY
305 PM CDT Mon Apr 19 2021

.SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Wednesday night)
Issued at 305 PM CDT Mon Apr 19 2021

A dry cold front will move through our region tonight and settle
just southeast of the PAH forecast area. This will cause
temperatures to again drop to below normal readings from the upper
30s to lower 40s. On Tuesday, low pressure will move along the
front as an upper level trof moves over the middle Mississippi and
lower Ohio valleys. Model blends indicate scattered showers will
be possible by late Tuesday morning across our west and northwest
counties, with numerous showers spreading across our entire
region by late Tuesday afternoon and continuing much of the
evening. Showers will begin tapering off from the west by mid
evening, with showers ending in our eastern counties between 06z-
09z Wednesday. Our eastern counties could see some snow mix in
before ending, but it will not be anything significant.

As the showers end and skies begin clearing, colder air will be
filtering in from the west. At this point, the best chances of
freezing to just below freezing temperatures will be across
southern Illinois and most of southeast Missouri, and this is
where we have a freeze warning in effect from 06z-13z Wednesday.
Low temperatures may tie or break some records.

Chilly conditions can be expected Wednesday after our cold start
along with northwest winds, although at least we will see some
sunshine. High temperatures will be 12 to 16 degrees below normal,
with readings on reaching the lower to middle 50s.

For Wednesday night, models show a surface high moving overhead.
Forecast relative humidity time heights show some potential for
some low clouds, so despite calm winds, it does not look like
ideal cooling conditions at this point. However, we should see
temperatures drop into the lower to middle 30s. With dew points
within a couple of degrees of these values, frost remains a good
possibility. We will just have to wait and see where the future
guidance takes us.

.LONG TERM...(Thursday through Monday)
Issued at 305 PM CDT Mon Apr 19 2021

By Thursday morning, there will likely be quite a bit of frost
across the area, as a large area of surface high pressure will be
centered just to our west/northwest by 12Z. The center of this high
will slide southeast with time on Thursday and be southeast of the
area by Thursday evening. The low level flow will transition
Thursday night into Friday to become more southerly/southwesterly,
as this occurs. Meanwhile, an upper trough will steadily make its
way eastward across the central/southern Plains states on Friday.
Upper level moisture will be increasing across the area Friday with
the deeper moisture arriving late Friday night into Saturday.

While the NBM has generated some low PoPs coming into the area as
early as late Thursday night and into the day on Friday, believe the
most optimal rain chances will arrive Friday night into Saturday
when the lower levels moisten back up and recover from the unusually
dry air mass that will move in mid week. Due to many of the
GFS/ECMWF ensemble members hinting at incoming precipitation for
Thursday through Friday, seems prudent to leave the low PoPs
inherited by the NBM. Later on though, NBM PoPs pick up on this more
optimal time frame for rain as PWs peak, with PoPs in the likely
category, so minimal changes needed. This upcoming system is rather
progressive and models have a good beat on when it will exit the
area, with precipitation ending from west to east Saturday afternoon
or evening.

Sunday and Monday should be dry with warming temperatures, as an
upper level ridge builds in for early next week. In fact, after
Wednesday, high temperatures should gain several degrees each day,
ending on Monday with readings in the lower to middle 70s. This is
supported by the latest GEFS, which indicates a pretty high
probability of reaching over 70 degrees on Monday especially over
southeast MO, far west KY and far southern IL.

&&

.AVIATION...
Issued at 305 PM CDT Mon Apr 19 2021

Clear skies expected through much of the TAF period, with just
some high clouds approaching from the north. KMVN may have BKN
MVFR clouds by the end of the TAF period. Winds from the west to
southwest at 6-12 kts with gusts of 15-20 kts will decrease to
around 5 kts after 00z and become north with the passage of a dry
cold front.  No vsby restrictions.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...Freeze Warning from 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Wednesday for ILZ075>078-
     080>094.

MO...Freeze Warning from 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Wednesday for MOZ076-086-
     087-100-107>111.

IN...None.
KY...None.
&&

SHORT TERM...RST
LONG TERM...CW
AVIATION...RST
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 19, 2:37 PM CST, 3 hours 23 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

19 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.

Frost/Freeze, Alexander

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Alexander forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Edwards

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Edwards forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Franklin

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Gallatin

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Gallatin forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Hamilton

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Hardin

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Hardin forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Jackson

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Jefferson

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Johnson

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Johnson forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Massac

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Massac forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Perry

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Perry forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Pope

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Pope forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Pulaski

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Saline

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Saline forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Union

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Union forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Wabash

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Wabash forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Wayne

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, White

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
White forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Williamson

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to April 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Williamson forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Frost/Freeze
Frost or temperatures at or below freezing during the growing season, usually filed for crop damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, April 2021

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 947826, 947827, 947828, 947829, 947830, 947831, 947832, 947833, 947834, 947835, 947836, 947837, 947838, 947839, 947840, 947841, 947842, 947843, 947844.