April 20-21 Winter Weather Recap

Overview

Winter made an unwelcome, but brief, return to central Illinois on April 20th, as a cold front brought well-below normal temperatures and measurable snowfall to the area. The following is a brief event recap including snow reports, climate and record information, and context relative to other late season snow events for central Illinois. 

Snow Reports

Record daily snowfalls for April 20th were set at all three of the official NWS ILX climate sites:

• Peoria: 0.9"  ------- Previous Record was Trace in 1950, 1953, 1959
• Lincoln: 0.6" ------- Previous Record was Zero
• Springfield: 0.3" -- Previous Record was  Trace in 1943, 2013

The latest measurable snowfall (greater than or equal to 0.1") on record for the central Illinois climate sites are:

• Peoria: May 8th, occurred in 1923 and 1966. (Records began in 1893)
• Lincoln: April 24th, occurred in 1910. (Records began in 1906)
• Springfield: May 2nd, occurred in 1929. (Records began in 1881)

A complete listing of snow reports from across the area for April 20, 2021, can be seen at the link below:

April 20 Snow Reports for Central Illinois

Temperature 

Normal high temperatures for mid-to-late April in central Illinois are in the mid-to-upper 60s, while the normal low temperatures are in the 40s. This cold front brought well-below normal temperatures to the area, with highs on April 20th ranging from the upper 30s to low 50s, and widespread lows in the upper 20s on the morning of April 21st. With the growing season underway across Illinois, these cold overnight temperatures presented a hazard to vegetation across the area.

Two record cold low temperatures were tied on April 21st:

• Springfield:  28 degrees (Tied previous record from 1904)
• Lincoln:       28 degrees (Tied previous record from 1982)

The low temperature at Peoria was 29 degrees, just above the previous record of 28 degrees set in 1943. 

The cold high temperatures on April 20th were near record level. Here's a look at how the observed high temperature for April 20th compared to the coldest high temperatures on record for April 20th:

• Peoria: 40 degrees ----------- Previous Record was 39 set in 1893
• Lincoln: 40 degrees ---------- Previous Record was 38 set in 1918
• Springfield: 39 degrees ------ Previous Record was 38 set in 1918

Other April 20th high temperatures and the April 21st low temperatures (as of midday April 21st) are listed below. These data are considered preliminary and are subject to change.

• Champaign ------- 40/31
• Decatur ------------ 40/29
• Lawrenceville ----- 54/32
• Mattoon ------------ 42/31
• Bloomington ------ 39/28
• Galesburg --------- 41/24
• Lacon --------------- 40/27
• Jacksonville ------- 38/31
• Rantoul ------------ 38/31
• Danville ------------ 40/31
• Effingham --------- 45/31
• Paris ---------------- 43/30
• Flora ---------------- 48/30
• Olney --------------- 51/32
• Mt Carmel --------- 53/32