Ice Storm — Alexander, Illinois

2025-01-05 · Alexander, Illinois

Wider weather episode

A major to locally historic winter storm impacted southern Illinois on the 5th with a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Heavy snow with rates around 1 inch per hour impacted locations along and north of Interstate 64 beginning in the morning hours before eventually ending as sleet and freezing rain later that day. A lull occurred that evening with areas of freezing drizzle before wrap around moisture caused one final burst of snow into the morning hours on the 6th. Peak accumulations ranged from 4 to 7 inches of snow and sleet along with glazes of ice. Further south along an axis that extended across Interstate 57, a brief wintry mix on the onset quickly transitioned to primary freezing rain, ending as brief light snow the following morning. Reports of thunder during heavy freezing rain were observed across the region. This is where the thickest glaze of ice between one quarter to three quarters of an inch had accumulated that led to widespread treacherous travel conditions, traffic accidents and major power outages. Interstate 64 in Jefferson County, IL was completely closed during the height of the storm at mile marker 21 due to numerous accidents. Tree branches were heard breaking and covered roads near Temple Hill in Pope County, IL. Half a tree came crashing down in Round Knob in Massac County, IL in addition to numerous large limbs down. Reports of trees and large branches were also seen on homes in Carterville in Williamson County, IL. The Herrin, IL fire department experienced some of the greatest impacts and reported at least 50 calls that included major tree and power line damage, damage to buildings and numerous roads that were blocked or closed. The plant nursery in the vicinity had canopies collapse due to the weight of ice that caused several thousand dollars' worth of tree loss. Over 100,000 residents across the entire tri-state region were without power during its peak that night into the following morning, with over 11000 outages in Williamson County, 9000 outages in Saline County and 5000 outages in Jackson County, IL. Temperatures in the 20s to near freezing gradually rose above freezing that afternoon and evening across southern portions of the region, but a shallow cold layer near 1000 ft above ground level made the ice reluctant to melt off the tree branches. The heavy weight on trees led to additional power outages during the day on the 6th due to wind gusts over 20 mph. Wet surfaces the prior night also resulted in a flash freeze as temperatures quickly plummeted back below freezing into the 20s. The cold temperatures also led to one fatality in Saline County, Illinois on the morning of the 6th that was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning due to improper use of a gasoline-powered generator in an unventilated room. Key Impacts: transportation delays, traffic accidents, power outages.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1225058. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.