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 On the morning of Jan. 31, the cooperative weather observer at
Mt. Carroll in Carroll County reported a temperature of -38
degrees.
After a comprehensive review, the State Climate Extremes
Committee (SCEC) unanimously voted to validate the -38 degrees
reading as the new official state record minimum temperature.
This committee ensures that the observation is meteorologically
plausible, is within a range that the reporting instrument can
detect, and that the instrument is in proper working order.
Brian Kerschner at the Illinois State Water Survey represented
the Illinois State Climatologist Office as a member of the SCEC,
along with delegates from the National Weather Service (NWS),
the Midwest Regional Climate Center (MRCC), and the National
Center for Environment Information (NCEI).
The previous minimum temperature record for Illinois was -36
degrees set in Congerville, located in Woodford County, on Jan.
5, 1999. The coldest temperature prior to the Congerville
record, -35 degrees, was also set at Mt. Carroll in January
1930, and was later tied with Elizabeth in February 1996.
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The Mt. Carroll station is a traditional daily
observing station located in northwestern Illinois. It has been in
service, with minor interruptions, since 1895, and has been
observing temperatures since 1897. It is operated by the City of Mt.
Carroll and attended by staff at the city’s water treatment plant.
You can view the final report on the NCEI website here:
https://www. ncdc.noaa. gov/extremes/scec/reports
A complete list of current state records can be found here:
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ extremes/ scec/records/IL
[LISA A. SHEPPARD] |
