Illinois winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 102 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 8,149 winter storm records in Illinois from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 264 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the February 1, 2011 blizzard: 14 deaths, 2 injuries and $689,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 7 records. Illinois ranks 12th of 51 states and territories by count and 22nd of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Illinois, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 8,1491996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 264average
- Deaths
- 116329 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $118Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2008548 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are winter storm records common in Illinois?
Illinois averages about 264 winter storm records a year since 2000, 12th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2008 (548). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Illinois records 1468 winter storm records since 1996, 22nd of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Illinois have the most winter storm records?
Per square mile, Putnam County leads Illinois: 125 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 780.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Bureau County has the most winter storm records (227 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in Illinois?
60% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (2,802 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 2,802 · Feb 2,068 · Mar 738 · Apr 130 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 28 · Nov 405 · Dec 1,978 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Illinois?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-02-01 | BlizzardCook County · forecast zone Cook One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. A powerful and enormous winter storm moved across northern Illinois with blizzard conditions across much of the area which paralayzed the region. Light snow began falling across parts of northern Illinois during the moring hours of February 1st but the heavy snow associated with the main storm system spread north ... | 14 | 2 | $689K | |
| 1997-01-15 | Winter StormCook County · forecast zone Cook On January 15th, 4 to 6 inches of snow fell across much of northern Illinois. A narrow band of heavy snow fell from Aurora, in southeast Kane County, to southern Lake County Illinois. Snowfall totals: officially 4.2 inches fell at O'hare, 8.5 inches at Aurora, 10 inches at Lincolnshire, 5.3 inches at Midway, 5.5 ... | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-02-05 | Winter WeatherChampaign County · forecast zone Champaign One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A storm system tracking from Texas eastward across the Gulf States, spread light snow into central Illinois on February 5th. Accumulations generally ranged form 1 to 3 inches, but increased to as much as 4 inches across east-central Illinois from Champaign-Urbana to Danville and Paris. As a result of snow-covered ... | 4 | 5 | – | |
| 2008-12-01 | Heavy SnowTazewell County · forecast zone Tazewell One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A major winter storm moved through the Midwest from November 30th through early on December 1st. Moderate to heavy snow impacted locations along and north of I-74...with portions of Tazewell, Woodford, and McLean counties picking up in excess of 6 inches of snow. Further south, snowfall was lighter...with a general 1 ... | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-12-12 | BlizzardChampaign County · forecast zone Champaign One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. An intense area of low pressure tracked from Iowa into the eastern Great Lakes on Sunday, December 12th. The heaviest snow with this system remained well to the north across parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin: however, lighter snow ranging from 2 to 4 inches fell further south across central Illinois. As the low ... | 3 | 6 | – | |
| 2012-01-12 | Winter WeatherFulton County · forecast zone Fulton One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. A vigorous upper-level disturbance brought a swath of snow across mainly north-central Illinois on January 12th into the early morning of January 13th. Three to five inches of snow accumulated along and north of a Jacksonville...to Springfield...to Danville line. As this was the first significant snowfall of the ... | 3 | 4 | – | |
| 2018-01-24 | Winter WeatherCook County · forecast zone Cook One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. Freezing drizzle and pockets of freezing rain developed during the early morning hours of January 24th across portions of northeast Illinois in the Chicago Metro area, which quickly led to icy conditions on roadways. Several hundred accidents were reported across the southern and western suburbs of the Chicago area. ... | 3 | 4 | $1.8M | |
| 2011-02-01 | BlizzardSangamon County · forecast zone Sangamon One storm episode: 22 records in 22 places; the totals are the episode's. A powerful storm system tracking from the southern Plains into the Great Lakes brought a wide variety of wintry precipitation to central and southeast Illinois on Februray 1st into the 2nd. Freezing rain was the primary form of precipitation south of I-70, where ice accumulations of one quarter to three quarters of an ... | 3 | 0 | $14M | |
| 1997-12-30 | Heavy SnowChristian County · forecast zone Christian One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. About a 70 mile wide band of heavy snow, southwest of a Galesburg to Springfield to Effingham line, occurred. Snow amounts ranged from 3 to 6 inches with the heaviest occurring in a line from Rushville to south of Springfield. Numerous traffic accidents were reported resulting from slick roadways. 3 deaths were ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-12-23 | Winter WeatherEffingham County · forecast zone Effingham One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A storm system spread a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain across central Illinois on December 23rd. The precipitation was on the light side: however, locations along and south of I-72 reported a thin glaze of ice from the freezing rain. | 2 | 4 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in Illinois
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-01-26 | Winter StormMassac County · forecast zone Massac One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $56M | |
| 2011-02-01 | BlizzardSangamon County · forecast zone Sangamon One storm episode: 22 records in 22 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2006-12-01 | Winter StormMcLean County · forecast zone McLean One storm episode: 12 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 7 | $12M | |
| 2008-02-11 | Winter StormJackson County · forecast zone Jackson One storm episode: 12 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 4 | $9.6M | |
| 2006-12-01 | Winter StormMacoupin County · forecast zone Macoupin One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $6.5M | |
| 2015-12-28 | Ice StormMcLean County · forecast zone McLean One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 0 | $5.9M | |
| 2008-12-18 | Ice StormPeoria County · forecast zone Peoria One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $2.3M | |
| 2018-01-24 | Winter WeatherCook County · forecast zone Cook One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 4 | $1.8M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records becoming more frequent in Illinois?
Illinois's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Illinois | United States | Illinois's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 1,133 | 32,893 | 3.4% |
| 2000s | 2,672 | 88,805 | 3.0% |
| 2010s | 2,605 | 103,626 | 2.5% |
| 2020-26 | 1,739 | 62,015 | 2.8% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Illinois
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherShelby County · forecast zone Shelby | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherMenard County · forecast zone Menard | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherPiatt County · forecast zone Piatt | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherLogan County · forecast zone Logan | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherDe Witt County · forecast zone De Witt | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherColes County · forecast zone Coles | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherMcLean County · forecast zone McLean | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherStark County · forecast zone Stark | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherKnox County · forecast zone Knox | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardStephenson County · forecast zone Stephenson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardJo Daviess County · forecast zone Jo Daviess | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardCarroll County · forecast zone Carroll | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in Illinois
FEMA has declared 10 disasters in Illinois for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 4 were major disasters, the latest on March 17, 2011.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-03-17 | DR-1960 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 65 |
| 2009-03-02 | DR-1826 | Severe Winter Storm | 9 |
| 2008-03-13 | EM-3283 | Record Snow and Near Record Snow | 8 |
| 2007-02-09 | DR-1681 | Severe Winter Storm | 18 |
| 2006-12-29 | EM-3269 | Snow | 26 |
| 2005-02-01 | EM-3199 | Record/Near Record Snow | 16 |
| 2001-01-17 | EM-3161 | Illinois Winter Snow Storms | 27 |
| 1999-01-08 | EM-3134 | Il-Winter Storm 1/1/99 | 52 |
| 1990-03-06 | DR-860 | Severe Ice Storm | 10 |
| 1979-01-16 | EM-3068 | Blizzards & Snowstorms | 24 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Putnam County: the county's whole recordThe Illinois county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in IllinoisTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Illinois22,068 records
- Hail in Illinois12,331 records
- Floods in Illinois6,507 records