MT CARROLL, Illinois — The coldest temperature in state history was officially recorded on Jan. 31, 2019 according to a committee of weather professionals.
The Mt. Carroll cooperative weather observer measured a low temperature of -38 degrees Fahrenheit, which was validated by the State Climate Extremes Committee, according to a press release.
That’s colder than the average low temperature of the North Pole in January, which sits at around -20 degrees, according to NOAA.
The Committee’s ruling breaks the old record of -36 degrees, set on Jan. 5, 1999 in Congerville, Illinois, a village east of Peoria.
The SCEC is made up of the National Weather Service, the Weather Forecast Office in Davenport, the NWS Central Region’s Cooperative Observer Program, the Illinois State Climate Office, the Midwestern Regional Climate Center and the National Centers for Environmental Information.