Cold Weather Statistics for Central Illinois from the New Year's Arctic Outbreak

January 1 low temperature. Image courtesy Midwestern Regional Climate Center

January 2 low temperatures. Image courtesy Midwestern Regional Climate Center.

Observed low temperature maps from January 1st (left) and 2nd (right), courtesy of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.

Peoria:

Coldest temperature observed: 16 degrees below zero, on January 1. The last time it was colder than this was January 16, 2009, when the low was 21 below zero.
The high temperature on January 1 only reached -2 degrees. This was the coldest New Year's Day high temperature on record. The old record of 3 degrees was set in 1928, and tied in 1974.
Since records began in 1883, there have been 48 days where the high temperature has failed to reach zero. The last time this occurred was on January 6, 2014. This was only the third occasion since 2000 with a subzero high.
Coldest reported wind chill: 32 below zero on January 1 at 5:54 am (temperature -15, wind 8 mph). This was the coldest wind chill reported since January 6, 2014, when it reached 36 below zero. (Wind chill records are not kept, due to it being a calculated value vs. a direct measurement like temperature or wind.)

Springfield:

Coldest temperature observed: 13 degrees below zero on January 1 and 2. These were the coldest observed temperatures in Springfield since February 27, 2015 (14 below zero).
The low for January 1st tied the record for the date, set in 1974.
Coldest reported wind chill: 30 below zero on January 1 at 4 am (temperature -9, wind 13 mph). The last time it was colder was on January 6, 2014, when the wind chill was 38 below zero. (Wind chill records are not kept, due to it being a calculated value vs. a direct measurement like temperature or wind.)

Coldest temperatures in central Illinois:

January 1: 21 below zero at Minonk
January 2: 20 below zero at both Minonk and Galesburg

Coldest wind chills reported in central and southeast Illinois:

Location Temp Time/Date

...Champaign County...
U of IL Willard AP -35 F 0853 AM 01/01
Lake Of The Woods -34 F 0921 AM 01/01
Rantoul Natl Aviation Ctr -33 F 0635 AM 01/01
Ogden -32 F 0600 AM 01/01
1 W Sidney -32 F 0849 AM 01/01
2 SSE Urbana -31 F 0538 AM 01/01
2 SE Urbana -30 F 0843 AM 01/01
3 NW Champaign -29 F 0729 AM 01/02
Royal -27 F 0730 AM 01/02
1 E Urbana -26 F 0731 AM 01/01

...Christian County...
Taylorville Muni AP -30 F 0755 AM 01/01

...Clark County...
Casey -20 F 0809 AM 01/01
3 NE Marshall -20 F 0938 AM 01/01
1 NE Marshall -20 F 0825 AM 01/01
Marshall -15 F 0815 AM 01/02

...Clay County...
Flora Municipal AP -20 F 0815 AM 01/01

...Coles County...
Coles County Mem AP -32 F 0753 AM 01/01

...Crawford County...
Crawford County AP -24 F 0635 AM 01/01
Oblong -19 F 0840 AM 01/02

...Cumberland County...
2 SSW Jewett -16 F 0729 AM 01/01

...De Witt County...
1 SW Lane -32 F 0820 AM 01/01

...Douglas County...
Hindsboro -33 F 0800 AM 01/01
Newman -23 F 0706 AM 01/01

...Edgar County...
Edgar County AP -34 F 0755 AM 01/01

...Effingham County...
Effingham County Mem Ap -23 F 0755 AM 01/01
Watson -20 F 0815 AM 01/01
Altamont -19 F 0749 AM 01/02
Teutopolis -18 F 0801 AM 01/01

...Jasper County...
Newton -17 F 0641 AM 01/01
Newton -16 F 0815 AM 01/01

...Knox County...
Galesburg Muni AP -38 F 0355 AM 01/01
Galesburg -35 F 0844 AM 01/01

...Lawrence County...
Lawrenceville AP -21 F 0753 AM 01/01
Mt Carmel AP -18 F 0755 AM 01/01

...Logan County...
Logan County AP -30 F 0755 AM 01/01
New Holland -25 F 0910 AM 01/01
Middletown -23 F 0720 AM 01/02

...Macon County...
Decatur AP -35 F 0754 AM 01/01
Mount Zion -29 F 0845 AM 01/02
1 NNW Warrensburg -28 F 0740 AM 01/02
2 S Forsyth -28 F 0750 AM 01/02
4 SSW Maroa -27 F 0818 AM 01/01

...Marshall County...
Henry -32 F 0811 AM 01/01
Marshall County AP -32 F 0555 AM 01/01

...McLean County...
1 NNE Pleasant Hill -39 F 0840 AM 01/01
Central Illinois Rgl AP -38 F 0656 AM 01/01
Bloomington -38 F 0811 AM 01/01
Heyworth -31 F 0749 AM 01/01
1 S Cooksville -30 F 0826 AM 01/02
Arrowsmith -26 F 0856 AM 01/01
1 E Heyworth -26 F 0740 AM 01/02
Bellflower -26 F 0624 AM 01/01

...Menard County...
2 NNE Ashland -26 F 0137 AM 01/01

...Morgan County...
Jacksonville Muni AP -31 F 0835 AM 01/01

...Moultrie County...
Sullivan -23 F 0820 AM 01/02

...Peoria County...

Peoria Intl AP -32 F 0654 AM 01/01
Hanna City -29 F 0948 AM 01/01
1 NE Alta -27 F 0701 AM 01/02
1 E Peoria -24 F 0317 AM 01/01
Alta -23 F 0449 AM 01/01

...Richland County...
Olney Noble AP -22 F 0535 AM 01/01
3 S Olney -12 F 0729 AM 01/01

...Sangamon County...
Springfield Capital AP -30 F 0352 AM 01/01

...Schuyler County...
2 WNW Browning -24 F 0401 AM 01/01

...Scott County...
Winchester -26 F 0320 AM 01/01

...Shelby County...
Shelbyville -24 F 0813 AM 01/01
Moweaqua -19 F 0944 AM 01/02
Cowden -18 F 0754 AM 01/02

...Stark County...
Wyoming -26 F 0825 AM 01/01

...Tazewell County...
3 ENE East Peoria -34 F 0730 AM 01/02
2 E South Pekin -31 F 0736 AM 01/01
Peoria Lock And Dam -29 F 0900 AM 01/01
2 NNE Washington -27 F 0721 AM 01/02
1 NE East Peoria -25 F 0531 AM 01/01
1 NNW Morton -24 F 0710 AM 01/02
1 ENE Washington -23 F 0711 AM 01/02

...Vermilion County...
Vermilion Rgl Ap -32 F 0815 AM 01/01
4 S Armstrong -32 F 0601 AM 01/01
1 N Tilton -30 F 0841 AM 01/01
2 WSW Fithian -27 F 0750 AM 01/01

...Woodford County...
El Paso -38 F 0748 AM 01/01
Minonk -29 F 0908 AM 01/01
1 NNE Eureka -27 F 0821 AM 01/01

Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying
equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers
for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official.

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