Illinois, 2025

Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 5 to 6, 2025

January 5 to 6, 2025 · NWS ILX · 28 events in 28 counties and zones

A major winter storm system impacted south-central Illinois from the morning of January 5th through the morning of January 6th. Snow was the primary precipitation type, although the profile warmed enough to produce some sleet and freezing drizzle south of the I-70 corridor.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 28 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
28

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 ILX wrote it up.

A major winter storm system impacted south-central Illinois from the morning of January 5th through the morning of January 6th. Snow was the primary precipitation type, although the profile warmed enough to produce some sleet and freezing drizzle south of the I-70 corridor. Due to dry air flowing southeastward from the Great Lakes, there was a sharp northern edge to the snowfall with locations north of I-74 generally picking up 1 inch or less...while slightly further south along and south of a Rushville...to Lincoln...to Paris line impressive amounts of 6 to 10 inches were noted. Due to the heavy snowfall, numerous traffic accidents were reported. A 40-50 vehicle crash closed east-bound I-70 at mile marker 119 near Effingham, while west-bound I-70 at exit 129 near Casey was also closed for a time. In addition, north-bound I-55 between mile markers 123 and 133 just south of Lincoln was shut down due to an accident.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

26 heavy snow, 2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Clay

When
January 5, 3:30 AM CST to January 6, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.754, -88.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 5 to 6 inches of snow across Clay County...including 6.0 inches 2 miles southeast of Clay City. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Effingham

When
January 5, 3:30 AM CST to January 6, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Effingham forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.060, -88.590 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 10 inches of snow across Effingham County...including 9.0 inches in Effingham. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported. A 40-50 vehicle crash closed east-bound I-70 near mile marker 119 at Effingham for several hours.

Heavy Snow, Christian

When
January 5, 4:00 AM CST to January 6, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Christian forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.546, -89.277 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 8 to 12 inches of snow across Christian County...including 11.5 inches in Pana and 10.0 inches 1 mile east-northeast of Taylorville. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Jasper

When
January 5, 4:00 AM CST to January 6, 10:30 AM CST
Where
Jasper forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.010, -88.154 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Jasper County...including 7.9 inches in Newton. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Lawrence

When
January 5, 4:00 AM CST to January 6, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Lawrence forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.720, -87.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 5 to 6 inches of snow across Lawrence County...including 5.7 inches at Lawrenceville. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Richland

When
January 5, 4:00 AM CST to January 6, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Richland forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.712, -88.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Richland County...including 7.5 inches 1 mile northwest of Claremont. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Shelby

When
January 5, 4:00 AM CST to January 6, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Shelby forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.391, -88.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 10 inches of snow across Shelby County. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Crawford

When
January 5, 4:30 AM CST to January 6, 10:30 AM CST
Where
Crawford forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.003, -87.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Crawford County...including 6.0 inches in Robinson. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Morgan

When
January 5, 5:00 AM CST to January 6, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Morgan forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.716, -90.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 10 inches of snow across Morgan County...including 9.0 inches in Jacksonville and 8.0 inches 2 miles north of Alexander. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Sangamon

When
January 5, 5:00 AM CST to January 6, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Sangamon forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 10 inches of snow across Sangamon County...including 9.5 inches in Dawson and 8.2 inches 1 mile north of Grandview. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Scott

When
January 5, 5:00 AM CST to January 6, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Scott forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.644, -90.475 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 10 inches of snow across Scott County. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Cass

When
January 5, 5:30 AM CST to January 6, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Cass forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.974, -90.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 8 to 10 inches of snow across Cass County...including 9.0 inches in Beardstown and 8.0 inches in Virginia. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Cumberland

When
January 5, 6:00 AM CST to January 6, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Cumberland forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.273, -88.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Cumberland County. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Schuyler

When
January 5, 6:00 AM CST to January 6, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Schuyler forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.158, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across the southern half of Schuyler County...including 7.3 inches 3 miles west-northwest of Browning. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Menard

When
January 5, 6:30 AM CST to January 6, 6:30 AM CST
Where
Menard forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.027, -89.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Menard County...including 6.2 inches in Petersburg. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Champaign

When
January 5, 7:00 AM CST to January 6, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Champaign forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.140, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 4 to 6 inches of snow across the southern half of Champaign County...including 4.0 inches 1 mile south-southeast of Savoy. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Clark

When
January 5, 7:00 AM CST to January 6, 10:15 AM CST
Where
Clark forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.334, -87.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 8 to 10 inches of snow across Clark County. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported...including one that closed I-70 west-bound at exit 129 near Casey.

Heavy Snow, Coles

When
January 5, 7:00 AM CST to January 6, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Coles forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.520, -88.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 8 to 10 inches of snow across Coles County...including 9.0 inches 1 mile west-northwest of Mattoon. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Mason

When
January 5, 7:00 AM CST to January 6, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Mason forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.240, -89.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across the southern half of Mason County...including 6.0 inches in Bath. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Moultrie

When
January 5, 7:00 AM CST to January 6, 8:15 AM CST
Where
Moultrie forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.642, -88.619 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 10 inches of snow across Moultrie County...including 8.0 inches 3 miles northwest of Kirksville and 6.8 inches in Lovington. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Piatt

When
January 5, 7:00 AM CST to January 6, 7:30 AM CST
Where
Piatt forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.010, -88.591 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 5 to 6 inches of snow across the southern half of Piatt County...including 5.0 inches in Cisco. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Winter Weather, Fulton

When
January 5, 7:00 AM CST to January 6, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Fulton forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.473, -90.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 2 to 4 inches of snow across Fulton County...including 3.6 inches in Lewistown. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Winter Weather, Vermilion

When
January 5, 7:00 AM CST to January 6, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Vermilion forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.183, -87.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 1 to 3 inches of snow across much of Vermilion County...with a few amounts of 5 to 6 inches across the far southern part of the county. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Edgar

When
January 5, 7:30 AM CST to January 6, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Edgar forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.679, -87.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Edgar County. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Logan

When
January 5, 8:00 AM CST to January 6, 6:45 AM CST
Where
Logan forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.125, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Logan County...including 6.9 inches at the NWS office in Lincoln. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported. A crash closed north-bound I-55 between mile markers 123 and 133 just south of Lincoln for several hours.

Heavy Snow, De Witt

When
January 5, 8:30 AM CST to January 6, 6:30 AM CST
Where
De Witt forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
40.175, -88.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 4 to 6 inches of snow across the southern half of DeWitt County...including 5.3 inches in Kenney and 5.0 inches in Clinton. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Douglas

When
January 5, 8:30 AM CST to January 6, 9:30 AM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.770, -88.217 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Douglas County...including 8.0 inches in Arthur. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

Heavy Snow, Macon

When
January 5, 8:30 AM CST to January 6, 7:30 AM CST
Where
Macon forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.860, -88.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Macon County...including 8.0 inches 1 mile south of Mt. Zion and 7.0 inches in Decatur. Due to snow-covered and hazardous roadways, numerous traffic accidents were reported.

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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, January 2025

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1230923, 1230930, 1230921, 1230931, 1230932, 1230942, 1230947, 1230925, 1230938, 1230943, 1230946, 1230919, 1230926, 1230945, 1230937, 1230920, 1230922, 1230924, 1230936, 1230939, 1230941, 1230949, 1230950, 1230929, 1230934, 1230927, 1230928, 1230935.