Heavy Snow in Stark, Illinois

Numerous weather observers across Stark County measured 6 to 7 inches of snow. The heavy snow caused hazardous road conditions, which led to several traffic accidents across the area.

A strong frontal boundary extending from the Ohio River Valley into the southern Plains separated an unseasonably warm airmass characterized by temperatures in the 60s and 70s from Kentucky southward to the Gulf Coast from bitterly cold air with readings well below zero across the northern Plains into the Upper Great Lakes on January 1st. Several waves of low pressure tracking along the boundary brought widespread precipitation to central Illinois. With temperatures at or above freezing, most of the precipitation occurred in the form of rain east of the I-55 corridor...with a mix of rain, sleet, and snow between I-55 and the Illinois River. Further northwest where a deeper cold airmass existed, all snow fell along and northwest of the Illinois River. Snow totals were highest across portions of Knox and Stark counties, where amounts in excess of 6 inches were common.