2014 Marks the 4th Coldest Year on Record for Illinois

[January 13, 2015]  CHAMPAIGN - The statewide average temperature for 2014 was 49.4 degrees F, which is 2.9 degrees below average. The year was tied with 1912 and 1979 for fourth place, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

The coldest year on record since 1895 was 1917 with an average of 48.3 degrees F.

“Although 2014 was a cold year for Illinois, the effect was largely confined to the Midwest and was not global and it does not reflect the long-term temperature trend in Illinois,” Angel said.

In December, the statewide average temperature in Illinois was 33.4 degrees, 3.5 degrees above average and the 29th warmest December on record. This follows a very cold November that was 8.2 degrees below average.

Snowfall was especially light in December and was absent in much of the state. The only snow of significance was in western Illinois where 1 to 2 inches fell. This is in stark contrast to last December (2013) when many parts of the state received 10 to 15 inches of snow.

The statewide average precipitation for December was 1.9 inches, 0.8 inches below average. The heaviest precipitation (rainfall plus the water content of snow) was in southern Illinois, which is typical for December. Precipitation amounts there were 3 to 5 inches. Much of the rest of the state north of Interstate 70 received 1 to 3 inches of precipitation during the month.

[Lisa Sheppard, Illinois State Water Survey]

The Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a division of the Prairie Research Institute, is the primary agency in Illinois concerned with water and atmospheric resources.