Winter Weather in Coles, Illinois

Numerous traffic accidents occurred across Coles County as a result of icy road conditions and poor visibility. A woman was killed on I-57 about 2 miles north of Mattoon when she was hit by a car while trying to help free another stuck vehicle.

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 deepened, strong northwesterly winds gusting over 50 mph at times developed, creating white-out conditions in many locations. Sharply colder air streamed into the region behind the departing system, resulting in wind-chill values plunging well below zero into December 13th.