The preliminary statewide average January temperature was 23.5 degrees, 3.2 degrees below the 1991-2020 average and tied for the 41st coldest on record going back to 1895. The preliminary statewide average total January precipitation was 1.19 inches, 1.12 inches below the 1991-2020 average and tied for the 28th driest on record statewide.
Data are provisional and may change slightly over time.
A Tale of Two Temperature Months
Of all the crazy weather months in Illinois, January has the largest average day to day temperature variability, and those wild swings were on full display last month. Daily temperatures and departures from normal in Galesburg show that days in first half of the month was 5 to 25 degrees warmer than normal, and days in the second half of the month were 5 to 25 degrees colder than normal (Figure 1).
January average temperatures ranged from the high teens in northwest Illinois to the mid-30s in far southern Illinois, between 1 and 3 degrees below normal (Figure 2). Snowpack in the southern part of the state during the latter half of January kept both daytime and nighttime temperatures well below average, compared to relatively snow-less northern Illinois.
The warmest point in the state last month was Olmstead at 32.0 degrees, and the coldest point in the state was Stockton at 16.4 degrees. The warm start to the month broke 74 daily high maximum temperature records and 60 daily high minimum temperature records. The extreme cold in the back half of January broke 74 daily low maximum temperature records and 33 daily low minimum temperature records, including -13 degrees in Springfield. Lawrenceville set a new all-time January high temperature record of 68 degrees on January 9th.
Overall, the preliminary statewide average January temperature was 23.5 degrees, 3.2 degrees below the 1991-2020 average and tied for the 41st coldest on record going back to 1895.
Snowy, but Dry?
Last month was a good example of why snowy and wet are two different descriptions of winter weather. Multiple strong winter storms moved through the mid-south in the latter half of January, bringing a lot of snow to the southern half of Illinois. Five counties had locations that approached or exceeded their one-day snowfall records on Jan. 19, including over 13 inches in Jackson County. Although the heavy snow was disruptive to travel, it was preferable to the devastating ice accumulation farther south in places like Nashville.
Overall, January total snowfall ranged from less than 3 inches in northwest Illinois to some isolated pockets of 20 inches in southern Illinois. The northern half of the state only had 10-75% of normal January snowfall, while much of southern Illinois had 200-500% of normal snowfall (Figure 3).
Plenty of cold air was present when the winter storms moved through our state in the latter half of January, and while this was helpful to produce some impressive snowfall totals, it also limited the liquid water content of the snow. Consequentially, parts of southern Illinois that had 300% or more normal snowfall were also 1 to 2 inches drier than normal last month. In fact, most of the state outside of a narrow band from Peoria to Chicago was 1 to 3 inches drier than normal last month (Figure 4). Only a few places saw more than 3 inches of total January precipitation, while some parts of northwest Illinois had less than an inch for the entire month.
Overall, the preliminary statewide average total January precipitation was 1.19 inches, 1.12 inches below the 1991-2020 average and tied for the 28th driest on record statewide.
Drought Continues
Winter drought in Illinois is strange, both in concept and reality. Cold weather and dormant vegetation reduce evaporation, ice formation makes it hard to observe impacts on streams and in soils, and an abundant (but dry) snowpack can be deceiving. That said, there is no doubt that Illinois is still dealing with an intense drought that began in 2025. The period between August 2025 and January 2026 was a top 10 driest on record in most of central Illinois (Figure 5). Bloomington-Normal only received 7.10 inches of precipitation between Aug. 1 and Jan. 31, which was the fifth driest of any six-month period on record there and the driest six months since 1980.
The topsoil, once thawed, may be relatively wet because of recent snowmelt; however, measurements from the Illinois Climate Network show deeper layer soils, especially below 12-15” depth, are still very dry. The water table at the Illinois Climate Network station in Peoria is 8 feet deeper than normal this time of the year and is the deepest it has been since measurements began in the 1990s. Accordingly, the most recent US Drought Monitor released on Jan. 29 showed over 60% of the state was still in moderate drought, and much of east-central Illinois remained in extreme drought. Champaign County has been in extreme drought for 14 consecutive weeks ending on Jan. 29, marking the longest such period since the Drought Monitor began in 2000. Although we typically don’t expect a lot of precipitation in February, wetter weather this month would be very welcome to start improving long-standing drought in the state.
Outlooks
The Climate Prediction Center outlooks, reflecting model tendencies and expert assessments, continue to lean into La Niña influence on our late winter and early spring weather across the U.S. Here in Illinois, the expectation is for below normal temperatures this month, with equal chances of wetter and drier weather. Outlooks for February through April show better chances of wetter than normal weather to transition from winter and spring, which would be wonderful to make headway on our drought (Figure 5).
