No one knows what weather we’ve got ahead of us in 2016, but looking in the rear-view mirror, we see what the National Weather Service-Chicago calls “an active year of weather and water.”

To say the least.

In fact, it was a record-setting year, filled with weather events that caused school cancellations, property damage, transportation delays and even loss of life.

Among the greatest hits of 2015 are the coldest February in Chicago since 1875 and the coldest month since 1983, the fifth-highest snowfall in Chicago history, devastating tornadoes that included an EF-3 in Coal City and EF-2 near Sublette, giant hail near Minooka that was the largest in Illinois since at least 1961 and the second-largest November snowstorm on record.

There was a near-record warm and wet end to the year, as you can see on this December climate report from the NWS-C. As it turns out, we’ve had the fourth-wettest November/December on record, with 9.36 inches of precipitation in those two months. The most we had in that time period was is 1982, when 15.51 inches of water fell on our fair cities.

In December, the average high temperature was 44.5 degrees — 9.7 degrees above normal. The average low temperature was 33.5 degrees, which is 12.8 degrees above normal, according to the NWS-Chicago.

If you’d like more information about the Kane County-area weather, check out this Storm Data page, a monthly publication by the NWS’s National Climatic Data Center.  Storm Data will list all of the finalized, quality controlled severe weather reports and damage survey assessments within the NWS Chicago County Warning Area broken down by month.  Below that, there is a thumbnail link to an interactive map archive of preliminary Local Storm Reports that are issued by an NWS office whenever a severe weather event is reported.

If you cannot find what you are looking for here, also try the NWS-C’s Local Climate page.

Kane County’s 2015 Historic Weather Events

• June 22, 2015:  Dozen tornadoes in northern Illinois with 10 from one supercell including an EF-3 in Coal City & EF-2 near Sublette, IL
• April 9, 2015: Violent EF-4 tornado strikes Rochelle area and Fairdale, IL
• February 2015: Coldest February in Chicago since 1875; coldest month since 1983
• Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2015:  Long duration snowfall brings a top ten snowfall to the area, including 5th highest in Chicago
• Historic 2013-14 Winter:  3rd coldest and snowiest winter

All 2015 Events

• 2015-2016 Winter: A listing of the winter’s events
• Dec. 9-14, 2015: Rare stretch of 50s in mid-December
• Nov. 20-21, 2015: Second largest November snowstorm on record for Rockford & Chicago; totals up to 18″ near WI stateline
• Sept. 18, 2015:  Heavy rain and a brief EF-1 tornado in the Frankfort-Monee area
• Sept. 12, 2015:  Early season lake effect rain showers bring waterspouts; science behind waterspouts
• Aug. 18, 2015:  Four confirmed brief EF-0 tornadoes and over three inches of rain in the Rockford area
• Aug. 10, 2015:  Severe microbust in Glen Ellyn, IL; the role of boundaries in severe weather
• Aug. 2, 2015: Large hail in DeKalb & Evanston, deadly wind damage in Wood Dale, & a tornado in Lake County, IL
• June 2015:  A recap and rainfall totals of the extremely wet & active month
• June 22, 2015:  Dozen tornadoes in northern Illinois including EF-3 in Coal City & EF-2 near Sublette, IL
• June 15, 2015:  Widespread flooding across the western Chicago metro; EF-1 tornado near Symerton, IL in Will County
• June 13, 2015:  Heavy rain leads to closing of I-80 in LaSalle County, IL
• June 10, 2015:  Giant hail near Minooka, IL was largest in Illinois since at least 1961
• June 8, 2015:  Many hail-producing storms, including up to golf ball size
• June 7, 2015:  Flash flooding south of I-80 and two brief tornadoes in Jasper County, IN
• May 30, 2015:  Late season wind and cold along with high waves
• May 26, 2015:  Brief EF-0 tornado in Summit, IL in Cook County
• April 9, 2015: Violent EF-4 tornado strikes Rochelle area and Fairdale, IL
• 2014-15 Winter:  Aggressive finish to winter, with one of the coldest Februarys on record
• February 2015:  Coldest February in Chicago since 1875; coldest month since 1983
• Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2015: Long duration snowfall brings a top ten snowfall to the area, including 5th highest in Chicago

Read More

• Top Stories of 2015 — No. 1: School Closings and Weather Events
• Find Out What Kane County Schools Are Open/Closed Due to Weather
• Fast Facts: Monday’s Sleet Event Sets All Kinds of Records
• Fast Start to 2015-16 Snow Season: Is Near-Record November a Sign of What’s to Come?
• Kane Residents Raise $3,637 for Fairdale Tornado Relief
• Bryant: How Kane County Can Help Fairdale Tornado Victims
• VIDEO: Tornado Near Rochelle Kills One; Hardest Damage Skirts Kane County
• Extreme Cold Closes Schools for Second Day in a Row
• Snowfall Totals, March 23, 2015 — Kane County Leads With 6.1 Inches
• Insult to Injury? More Snow, Cold Follows Blizzard
• Snowfall Totals for Kane County Feb. 2, 2015
• All 29 Trucks Out as Snow Piles Up in Kane County