Winter Storm — Clark, Illinois

2022-02-02 to 2022-02-03 · Clark, Illinois

Event narrative

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow and around one quarter of an inch of ice across Clark County. The heavy snow accumulations and considerable blowing and drifting snow led to road closures and numerous traffic accidents.

Wider weather episode

A slow-moving cold front dropped southward through central Illinois on February 1st, bringing an end to a period of unseasonably warm temperatures in the 40s and lower 50s. Several waves of low pressure tracked along the boundary, producing widespread precipitation across the region. The precipitation started as rain, then transitioned to wet snow along and north of a Quincy to Lincoln line by the late evening of February 1st. Snow developed southward to just north of I-70 by daybreak on February 2nd, then to locations south of I-70 by the late afternoon and evening of the 2nd. Once the snow tapered off and came to an end by the evening of February 3rd, widespread totals of 6 to 10 inches were observed everywhere north of I-70...with a heavier swath of snow exceeding 12 inches from a Minonk to Beardstown line northeastward to the Indiana border. Along and south of I-70, mixed phase precipitation occurred. Snow totals of 6 to 8 inches were common along I-70, but tapered off to 3 to 5 inches further south. Ice accumulations were focused along I-70, where amounts of two tenths to as much as three tenths of an inch were reported. In addition to the snow, strong northerly winds gusting as high as 30 to 40mph caused considerable blowing and drifting snow, which led to road closures and numerous traffic accidents across central Illinois.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1007289. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.