Strong Canadian high pressure settling southward into the Plains brought an extremely cold airmass into central Illinois from February 13th through February 15th. High temperatures only reached the single digits above zero, while overnight lows dropped below zero.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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.
Strong Canadian high pressure settling southward into the Plains brought an extremely cold airmass into central Illinois from February 13th through February 15th. High temperatures only reached the single digits above zero, while overnight lows dropped below zero. Due to gusty north-northwest winds, wind-chill values plunged to dangerous values as low as 25 below to 30 below zero at times. Despite the bitter conditions, no cold weather deaths were reported.
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 Feb 13, 8:28 PM CST, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lincoln IL 828 PM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 325 PM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 Light snow and flurries will taper off this afternoon. Little or no additional accumulation is expected. Bitter cold temperatures will continue through the middle of next week over Illinois, with the coldest temperatures expected tonight through Monday. Wind chills will fall as low as 10 to 30 below zero across central and southeast Illinois tonight into Monday. A strong winter storm system is likely in the Ohio Valley region Sunday night through Monday night, and will bring light to moderate snow over most of central Illinois Sunday through Monday, potentially heavy over southeast Illinois and Ohio river valley where a winter storm watch is in effect. && .UPDATE... Issued at 828 PM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 Current forecast looks fine, but given the clear skies and very cold temps expected tonight, have rerun some numbers and seeing more wind chill warning criteria across the area, mainly along I-55 and to the northwest. So this area will be upgraded to a warning for tonight. The wind chill advisory went til Monday morning so to keep things simple, the wind chill warning will go through the same period...Monday morning, expiring at 18z. Later forecast can revert back to an advisory if they want to. Other wind chill advisory and winter weather advisory looks fine and will let ride for now. Also adjusted the northwest half high tomorrow down 1-2 degrees as the cold air really sinks into the area. Forecast of snow starting tomorrow afternoon still looks good as well. Will be sending an updated forecast and new wind chill warning out shortly. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Sunday) ISSUED AT 325 PM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 Subsidence behind a shortwave lifting through the western Great Lakes Region will bring an end to today's light snow and flurries late this afternoon. Cold advection and northerly winds 10 to 15 mph tonight will bring plummeting temperatures reaching below zero most areas north of I-70, and lower single digits to the south tonight, along with wind chills from around 15 to 25 below zero across the area, and wind chill advisories are in place across the central IL forecast area. I-70 southward it is in effect from midnight to noon, while to the north it is in effect until noon Monday since temperatures will barely rebound above -15 through the period. Sunday into Monday morning some warm advection aloft looks to produce some steady light snow again, followed by another period of enhanced lift more focused on southeast IL Monday night as deformation zone with a strong low pressure system passing by to the south. Winter weather advisory has been issued for areas near and south of the I-72 corridor for 3 to 5 inches of light fluffy snow expected, while winter storm watch continues mainly south of I-70 for continued potential for higher amounts. .LONG TERM...(Sunday night through Saturday) ISSUED AT 325 PM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 Beyond the Sunday-Monday night system, a break in precipitation is expected until late Wednesday into Thursday when another potentially strong storm system. However, the track and strength of this system is more uncertain at this point. Temperatures look to slowly moderate through the middle and late portions of the work week, still remaining well below normal. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Sunday evening) Issued at 550 PM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 VFR conditions will begin at all sites as light snow has moved off to the east and broken clouds around 5kft are also moving east. PIA is already clear, but SPI, BMI, DEC, and CMI will all become clear over the next 2-4hrs and remain that way overnight. Mid clouds around 15kft will begin to move into the area tomorrow during the morning hours ahead of the next weather system. Cigs will then begin around 18z at 6kft. Then expecting MVFR cigs below 3kft during the late afternoon. Could be some light snow but for now will go with VCSH. Winds will be northerly through the period at 10-14kts. && .CLIMATE... Issued at 330 AM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 A number of record cold highs will fall across central Illinois over the next few days. Best chances of this are on Sunday and Monday. However, a few may go down today, namely Lincoln (period of record does not encompass 2/13/1905 when most of the other locations set their records), and Decatur (observation time changes in the past). Location Today Sunday Monday -------- --------- --------- --------- Bloomington 0 (1905) 10 (1943) 11 (1991) Champaign 0 (1905) 11 (2020) 7 (1905) Charleston 3 (1905) 15 (2020) 8 (1905) Decatur 14 (1914) -1 (1905) 12 (1920) Galesburg -3 (1905) 8 (2020) 9 (1991) Jacksonville 1 (1905) 17 (1943) 13 (1936) Lincoln 11 (1986) 13 (1943) 12 (2007) Olney 4 (1905) 20 (1914) 18 (1905) Paris -1 (1899) 1 (1905) 15 (1943) Peoria -7 (1905) 9 (1943) 7 (1905) Springfield -4 (1905) 15 (1943) 8 (1905) && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Watch from late Sunday night through late Monday night for ILZ063-067-068-071>073. Wind Chill Advisory from midnight tonight to noon CST Sunday for ILZ063-067-068-071>073. Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM Sunday to midnight CST Monday night for ILZ041>057-061-062-066. Wind Chill Warning until noon CST Monday for ILZ027>031-036>038- 040>043-047>051. Wind Chill Advisory until noon CST Monday for ILZ044>046-052>057- 061-062-066. && UPDATE...Auten SYNOPSIS...37 SHORT TERM...37 LONG TERM...37 AVIATION...Auten CLIMATE...Geelhart
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lincoln IL 335 PM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 ILZ041>057-061-062-066-142145- Cass-Champaign-Christian-Coles-Cumberland-De Witt-Douglas-Edgar- Effingham-Logan-Macon-Mason-Menard-Morgan-Moultrie-Piatt-Sangamon- Scott-Shelby-Vermilion- 335 PM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST MONDAY... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM SUNDAY TO MIDNIGHT CST MONDAY NIGHT... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Illinois, east central Illinois, southeast Illinois and west central Illinois. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... Dangerous wind chills after sunset today. Feels-like temperatures of 15 to 25 degrees below zero are expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... Dangerous wind chills continue Sunday morning into Monday morning. Feels-like temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees below zero. Chance of light snow Sunday with light to moderate snow likely by sunset. 2 to 4 inches of snow possible through Monday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated through tonight. Though snow measurements are appreciated. ILZ063-067-068-071>073-142145- Clark-Clay-Crawford-Jasper-Lawrence-Richland- 335 PM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON CST SUNDAY... ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of east central Illinois and southeast Illinois. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... Low wind chills are forecast tonight reaching 10 to 20 degrees below zero. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... Wind chills are forecast to be 10 to 20 degrees below zero from Sunday morning through Monday morning. A winter storm is possible overnight Sunday night through Monday night. 3 to 5 inches of snow is possible. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated through tonight. Though snow measurements are appreciated. ILZ027>031-036>038-040-142145- Fulton-Knox-Marshall-McLean-Peoria-Schuyler-Stark-Tazewell- Woodford- 335 PM CST Sat Feb 13 2021 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST MONDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Illinois and west central Illinois. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... Dangerous wind chills after sunset today. Feels-like temperatures of 20 to 30 degrees below zero are expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... Dangerous wind chills continue Sunday morning and Monday morning. Feels-like temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees below zero. Chance of light snow Sunday afternoon continuing into Monday. 1 to 3 inches of snow possible through Monday with higher amounts southeast of Illinois River Valley. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated through tonight. Though snow measurements are appreciated. Roberson
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
604 PM CST SAT FEB 13 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0440 PM SNOW 8 E PETERSBURG 40.01N 89.70W
02/13/2021 M1.8 INCH MENARD IL MESONET
SWOP REPORT.
&&
ERWINThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Dangerously cold wind-chill readings of 25 below to 30 below zero were observed across Fulton County.
Dangerously cold wind-chill readings of 25 below to 30 below zero were observed across Knox County.
Dangerously cold wind-chill readings of 25 below to 30 below zero were observed across McLean County.
Dangerously cold wind-chill readings of 25 below to 30 below zero were observed across Marshall County.
Dangerously cold wind-chill readings of 25 below to 30 below zero were observed across Stark County.
Dangerously cold wind-chill readings of 25 below to 30 below zero were observed across Woodford County.
Dangerously cold wind-chill readings of 25 below to 30 below zero were observed across Cass County.
Dangerously cold wind-chill readings of 25 below to 30 below zero were observed across Mason County.
Dangerously cold wind-chill readings of 25 below to 30 below zero were observed across Schuyler County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, February 2021
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: 945031, 945032, 945035, 945033, 945037, 945038, 945030, 945034, 945036.