Winter Storm of December 15-16, 2007
A major winter storm affected the central and northeastern United States during the weekend of December 15-16. Heavy snow fell in a large swath from the central Plains, northeast across the mid-Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes region, into New England. Across Illinois, snowfall totals in excess of 6 inches were common roughly along and just east of the I-55 corridor from the St. Louis area northeast to Chicago. The heaviest snowfall in this area fell from around Kankakee eastward into northern Indiana, with several totals over 10 inches, however localized snow totals around 9 inches were also reported in portions of central Illinois, around Decatur, Pana, and south of Jacksonville.
On the image above (click to enlarge), totals of 6 inches or more are shown by the green shades, with totals of 9 inches or higher in the darkening orange shades. West of the Illinois River, totals of 3 to 5 inches were common (blue and purple shades). In southeast Illinois, except around Effingham, totals of 2 to 4 inches were also reported, because the precipitation turned over to rain for a time.
This precipitation was associated with a strengthening low pressure system which moved from the lower Mississippi River Valley into the Ohio Valley. A vigorous upper level storm system also moved from Missouri into Illinois during the evening of the 15th, which enhanced snowfall rates and even caused a few periods of thundersnow east of I-55 and north of I-72. The system moved into the lower Great Lakes by Sunday morning.
Storm total snowfall amounts: These reports are considered preliminary and unofficial unless otherwise noted. Reports are thanks to observers in the COOP, SWOP, and COCORAHS networks, as well as county officials.
INCHES LOCATION COUNTY SOURCE ------ ------------------- ----------- ------- 9.5 DECATUR MACON SWOP 9.1 3 W PANA CHRISTIAN SWOP 8.8 WINCHESTER SCOTT COOP 8.5 MONTICELLO PIATT COOP 8.4 SPRINGFIELD SANGAMON COOP (Official) 8.2 3 NE BLOOMINGTON MCLEAN NWS EMPLOYEE 8.0 DECATUR MACON COOP 8.0 LAKEWOOD SHELBY SWOP 7.9 MATTOON COLES SWOP 7.8 SHERMAN SANGAMON COOP 7.8 LOVINGTON MOULTRIE COOP 7.7 5 NW SIDELL VERMILION COOP 7.6 1 ESE MOUNT ZION MACON COCORAHS 7.5 RIVERTON SANGAMON SWOP 7.4 SHELBYVILLE SHELBY SWOP 7.1 PETERSBURG MENARD SWOP 7.1 BROADWELL LOGAN SPOTTER
7.0 2 E NORMAL MCLEAN NWS EMPLOYEE 7.0 SPRINGFIELD 4SW SANGAMON SWOP 7.0 BROADLANDS CHAMPAIGN COCORAHS 7.0 NORMAL MCLEAN COOP 7.0 2 SW SPRINGFIELD SANGAMON SWOP 6.9 MAHOMET CHAMPAIGN COOP 6.8 4 WSW EFFINGHAM EFFINGHAM COCORAHS 6.8 LINCOLN LOGAN NWS EMPLOYEE 6.6 3 W EDINBURG CHRISTIAN COCORAHS 6.5 TAYLORVILLE CHRISTIAN COOP 6.5 1 ESE URBANA CHAMPAIGN COCORAHS 6.5 CHARLESTON COLES COOP 6.4 2 W BLOOMINGTON MCLEAN COOP 6.3 2 S MOWEAQUA SHELBY COOP 6.2 LINCOLN LOGAN NWS ILX (Official) 6.1 1 S CHAMPAIGN CHAMPAIGN COCORAHS 6.1 ROME PEORIA SWOP 6.1 2 SW ATHENS MENARD COOP 6.0 GRIDLEY MCLEAN SWOP 6.0 2 N GERMANTOWN HILLS WOODFORD SWOP 6.0 KINCAID CHRISTIAN COOP 6.0 MORRISONVILLE CHRISTIAN COOP 6.0 5 W BLOOMINGTON MCLEAN COOP 5.8 JACKSONVILLE MORGAN COOP 5.7 HENRY MARSHALL SWOP 5.7 1 ESE CHATHAM SANGAMON NWS EMPLOYEE 5.7 3 SW EFFINGHAM EFFINGHAM COOP 5.6 DELAVAN TAZEWELL SWOP 5.5 1 ESE GERMANTOWN HIL WOODFORD COCORAHS 5.5 BUFFALO SANGAMON COOP 5.5 FARMER CITY DE WITT COOP 5.5 RANKIN VERMILION COOP 5.5 PEORIA PEORIA NWS EMPLOYEE 5.4 1 N LACON MARSHALL COOP 5.4 1 N MACKINAW TAZEWELL COOP 5.4 URBANA CHAMPAIGN COOP 5.1 2 N HOMER CHAMPAIGN COCORAHS 5.1 2 SE DUNLAP PEORIA SWOP
5.0 HOOPESTON VERMILION COOP 5.0 8 E PETERSBURG MENARD SWOP 5.0 2 N MASON CITY MASON COOP 5.0 1 ENE ELMWOOD PEORIA COCORAHS 5.0 GERMANTOWN HILLS WOODFORD COCORAHS 5.0 WASHINGTON TAZEWELL COOP 5.0 2 S PHILADELPHIA CASS SWOP 5.0 1 S DE LAND PIATT SWOP 5.0 HUTSONVILLE CRAWFORD COOP 5.0 MORTON TAZEWELL COOP 5.0 2 S STANFORD MCLEAN COOP 5.0 DANVILLE VERMILION COOP 5.0 MOUNT PULASKI LOGAN COOP 5.0 LANE DE WITT SWOP 4.9 ROANOKE WOODFORD COOP 4.8 CLINTON DE WITT SWOP 4.7 ST. DAVID FULTON COOP 4.6 LEWISTOWN FULTON COOP 4.5 NEOGA CUMBERLAND COOP 4.5 TUSCOLA DOUGLAS COOP 4.5 MARIETTA FULTON COOP 4.5 OGDEN CHAMPAIGN COOP 4.3 PHILO CHAMPAIGN COOP 4.2 3 W BISMARCK VERMILION SWOP 4.2 GALESBURG KNOX COOP 4.2 3 SSE HENNING VERMILION COCORAHS 4.2 2 E MATTOON COLES COCORAHS 4.1 3 NE GREEN VALLEY TAZEWELL COCORAHS 4.1 4 NW NEOGA SHELBY COOP 4.0 W PEORIA PEORIA COOP 4.0 5 SSE CLAY CITY CLAY COOP 4.0 PARIS EDGAR COOP 3.8 CANTON FULTON SWOP 3.7 WINDSOR SHELBY COOP 3.7 1 S MOSSVILLE PEORIA SWOP 3.7 STE. MARIE JASPER COOP 3.6 TOULON STARK COOP 3.6 2 SSW TOULON STARK COCORAHS 3.5 MARTINSVILLE CLARK COOP 3.5 LAWRENCEVILLE LAWRENCE COOP 3.4 6 N CLAREMONT RICHLAND COOP 3.2 3 SW PEORIA PEORIA COOP (Official) 3.0 FLORA CLAY COOP 2.6 1 W PRINCEVILLE PEORIA COOP 2.6 NEWTON JASPER COOP 2.1 KNOXVILLE KNOX COOP 2.0 PALESTINE CRAWFORD COOP 2.0 HIDALGO JASPER COOP 2.0 8 NW NEWTON JASPER SWOP 2.0 2 SW CAMP GROVE STARK COOP 1.9 2 N GALESBURG KNOX SWOP 1.5 4 E MONTROSE JASPER COCORAHS
Freezing Rain and sleet information:
INCHES LOCATION COUNTY TYPE ------ ------------------- ----------- ------------- 0.20 EFFINGHAM EFFINGHAM FREEZING RAIN 0.10 FLORA CLAY FREEZING RAIN 0.10 SHELBYVILLE SHELBY FREEZING RAIN 0.10 OGDEN CHAMPAIGN SLEET 0.07 MARTINSVILLE CLARK FREEZING RAIN 0.00 MONTICELLO PIATT FREEZING RAIN 0.00 HOMER CHAMPAIGN FREEZING RAIN
