Winter Weather — Stark, Illinois

2022-02-17 · Stark, Illinois

Event narrative

Weather observers measured 3 to 5 inches of snow across Stark County...including 5.0 inches in Toulon. Falling and blowing snow created hazardous travel conditions and resulted in a few traffic accidents around 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 1008209. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.