Heavy Snow — Cass, Illinois

2022-02-17 · Cass, Illinois

Event narrative

Weather observers measured 6 to 8 inches of snow across Cass County...including 8.2 inches 3 miles south-southeast of Bluff Springs, 8.0 inches in Beardstown, and 7.5 inches in Bluff Springs. Falling and blowing snow led to hazardous driving conditions and numerous traffic accidents across the area.

Wider weather episode

Low pressure tracking from the Ozarks during the pre-dawn hours of February 17th to southern Ohio by the evening of the 17th brought heavy snow to parts of central Illinois. Snowfall amounts of greater than 6 inches were focused along and north of the I-72 corridor...with a swath of 8 to 10-inch totals along a Quincy to Bloomington-Normal line. As the low deepened over the Ohio River Valley, northerly wind gusts increased to 35 to 45mph, creating considerable blowing and drifting snow. As a result, travel quickly became hazardous and several area roadways were closed. Stretches of both I-55 and I-74 were closed near Bloomington. In addition, numerous accidents created a 100 vehicle pileup on southbound I-39 between Normal and Minonk, which closed the interstate for about 24 hours.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1008188. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.