January Was 8th Coldest on Record in Illinois

The sub-zero temperatures Illinoisans experienced last month added up to the eighth coldest January on record.

Illinois state climatologist Jim Angel says the statewide average temperature in January was 18.2 degrees — 8.1 degrees below the average of 26.3 degrees. Angel is with the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois.

The coldest January on record was in 1977, when the average temperature was 10.3 degrees.

January snowfall was above average for most of the state except in far southern Illinois, where snow totals were from 1 to 6 inches. Northeastern Illinois had between 25 and 30 inches of accumulation thanks to lake-effect snow.

Chicago recorded low temperatures at zero or below zero on 13 days. The city had its third snowiest January on record.