Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Crawford, Illinois

2026-01-26 · Crawford, Illinois

Event narrative

Bitterly cold wind-chill values of -20 to -30 occurred across Crawford County during the morning of January 26th. The coldest hourly wind-chill reading observed at the Robinson Airport (KRSV) was -25.

Wider weather episode

A significant overrunning snow event unfolded across central and southeast Illinois from the afternoon of January 24th through the afternoon of January 25th. Snowfall was heaviest along and south of the I-70 corridor where 8 to 14 inches accumulated. Once the snow ended and skies cleared, air temperatures dropped below zero over the fresh snow cover by the morning of January 26th. Due to west-northwest winds of 10 to 15mph, wind chill values bottomed out in the -20 to -30 degree range. Despite the dangerously cold conditions, no cold-related injuries or deaths were reported.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1306627. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.