Weather

We had a very warm and active weather week that reminded us that we are in spring. Average temperatures this week ranged from the mid-40s in northern Illinois to the low 60s in southern Illinois, between 8 and 16 degrees above normal. Some of the more impressive daytime high temperatures this week included 86 degrees in Jacksonville, which was the warmest March temperature on record there since 1986. Peoria hit 83 degrees this week, which is the earliest 80 degree high on record there.…

This week marked a quick transition to spring weather, just as the calendar turned over to March. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low 30s in northern Illinois to the high 40s in southern Illinois, between 1 and 6 degrees above average. Many places saw high temperatures reach into the 70s, including highs of 77 in Cahokia Heights and 74 in Springfield. This follows the month of February that was right around 1 degree warmer than normal statewide,…

Temperatures were all over the place this week, as is common for late February. Overall, average temperatures were 1 to 3 degrees warmer than average in northeast Illinois, and within 1 degree of average everywhere else. Some of the more impressive daytime high temperatures this week included 74 in Flora and 72 in Carbondale, while nighttime low temperatures dipped as far as 10 degrees in Galesburg and Quincy. February will likely end 2 to 3 degrees warmer than normal statewide in Illinois,…

Winter has come back with a vengeance after a temporary pause. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low teens in northern Illinois to the mid-20s in southern Illinois, between 4 and 8 degrees below normal statewide. Nighttime low temperatures this week regularly dipped into the single digits, if not below zero, including -5 degrees in Rockford and -2 in Aurora. The wind was also a factor, pushing wind chill values close to -20 on a few days.…

The second week of the year brought a fleeting taste of spring, with average temperatures between the mid-30s to upper 40s; 8 to 12 degrees above normal. Some of the more impressive daytime high temperatures this week included 69 in Kaskaskia and 68 in Carbondale. January to date has been 7 to 12 degrees above normal statewide, and has been a top 10 warmest first half of January on record in most parts of the state.…

Temperatures this week were all over the place, but the average temperatures ended 7 to 15 degrees colder than normal across the state. December to date has also been 7 to 14 degrees colder than normal, making it a top 10 coldest start to December on record in most places, including the 6th coldest on record in Bloomington-Normal.
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Extremely cold air settled in on Sunday night,…

CLIMATE REVIEW & WEATHER FORECAST
This week marked the start of climatological winter, both by the calendar and by the weather. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low 20s in northern Illinois to the low 30s in southern Illinois, between 8 and 12 degrees below average. Most places in the state saw nighttime low temperatures dip into the teens and single digits, with some very impressive lows like -7 in Lincoln and -6 in Moline.…