DECATUR — Central Illinois’ first bout with severe, frigid weather is expected to arrive by the end of the week with temperatures dipping into the teens on Friday night, according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln.
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Brrr! All-time snowfall records
Records from the Lincoln Climate
To see record temperatures and precipitation, visit http://www.weather.gov/ilx/ilx-alltime.
February 23, 1914
13 inches of snow fell on February 23, 1914. This is the highest snowfall in February in Central Illinois, and the most snow to fall in a calendar day or a 24-hour period. See the newspaper clipping.
Big snow, big news
The January 13, 1927 snowfall was big news for the Decatur Herald.
January 13, 1927
11 inches of snow fell on January 13, 1927. See the newspaper clipping from the The Pantagraph.
December 25, 1909
10 inches of snow fell on December 25, 1909. See the newspaper clipping.
November 17, 1926
7.8 inches of snow fell on November 17, 1926. See the newspaper clippings of The Pantagraph and the Decatur Daily Review.
March 16, 1960
7.5 inches of snow fell on March 16, 1960. See the newspaper clipping.
April 4, 1920
6 inches of snow fell on April 4, 1920. See the newspaper clippings of The Pantagraph and the Decatur Herald.
October 23, 1929
2.7 inches of snow fell on October 23, 1929. The photo caption from The Pantagraph reads, "Winter cast its first blanket of snow this year over the city Wednesday, and The Pantagraph cameraman, perched on the top floor of the Peoples bank building, caught a view of the white-topped business houses. The above picture is a view of the southeast section of the downtown district. It was the earliest snowfall here in 13 years."
A rare second photograph
The photo caption from The Pantagraph reads, "And snow visited Illinois Wesleyan university, too. Miss Marilla McCoy, I. W. U. student, and Miss Bessie Louise Smith of the music school faculty were commenting on it when the photographer noticed them beside the snow covered entrance of the university at Main Street."
Traces of snow in May
May holds several records for traces of snow: May 3 and 4, 1917; May 2, 1929; May 1, 1940; May 11, 1952. See a newspaper clipping from the Decatur Herald.
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The Bloomington Pantagraph: 1838-2013
The Decatur Herald & Decatur Daily Review: 1878-2013
The Mattoon Journal Gazette: 1860-2014
Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR
Donnette Beckett
"Together Decatur" Columnist and Food/Drink Reporter
