The statewide average temperature for the three winter months of December, January, and February in Illinois was 26.1 degrees, 7.5 degrees below average. While cold, it was not nearly as cold as last winter’s 21.7 degrees. This winter ranks as the 30th coldest on record.
This winter started off mild with an average December temperature of 33.9 degrees, 4 degrees above average. The average temperature in January was 25.7 degrees, only 0.7 degrees below average, and the average in February was 18.6 degrees, 12.3 degrees below average. See figure to the left, click to enlarge. Last winter, all three months were well below average.
Snowfall
Snowfall was above average for the winter from December through February. Most of that fell in February. December was snow-free for most of the state except in the far west. Snowfall was common in January but below average except for a band across northern Illinois. Major snows occurred in February to bring up the winter snowfall totals across the state. Above-average snowfall occurred across northern and western Illinois as well as far southern Illinois. The maps below show the observed amounts and departure from average.
Precipitation
The average precipitation for December-February was 4.97 inches, 1.85 inches below average. In fact, most of the Midwest received below-average precipitation this winter (figure left). Precipitation is a measure of both rainfall and the water content of any snow. While we received above-average snowfall, the water content of that snow was not always great. In a typical year we can get rain in winter, but not so much this winter. This kind of precipitation deficit would be a concern during the growing season. However, in winter the water demand is low.