Winter Storm — Alexander, Illinois

2009-01-26 to 2009-01-28 · Alexander, Illinois

Wider weather episode

A prolonged, major winter storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of sleet and snow north of a line from East Cape Girardeau through Vienna to the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. This resulted in at least two dozen roof collapses and very difficult driving conditions. South of that line, at least one inch of ice accumulated, with locally around 1.5 inches of ice. This resulted in a federal disaster declaration due to widespread tree damage and power outages. Virtually 100 percent of Massac County in the southern tip of the state was without power. The vast majority of nearby Alexander, Pulaski, Pope, Hardin, and southern Johnson Counties lost power. A major 161,000 volt transmission line running across the Ohio River into Kentucky went down. Hundreds of power poles were broken or knocked down in the ice storm area. Power outages generally lasted three to five days in cities and large towns, while many rural areas endured power outages over a week long. Some towns without power lost their water supply because pumps could not fill water towers. A utility company stated the damage was much worse than the ice storm of February 2008, which was their worst on record up until that time. Warming shelters were opened throughout the ice storm area, from Gallatin County southwest across Johnson and Massac Counties to Cairo. Numerous roads were closed by fallen trees and limbs, including State Highway 1 in Hardin County. Blocked roads complicated efforts to restore power and aid storm victims. The U.S. Highway 45 bridge over the Ohio River to Paducah, KY was closed for several days. Some tree limbs fell on cars and houses, puncturing roofs.

In the heavy sleet and snow area to the north and west, at least two dozen roofs caved in. Most of the collapsed roofs were over large industrial and commercial structures. The roofs of at least three buildings in West City (Franklin County) caved in. The roof of a large metal building caved in and the walls bowed out. Another building that lost its roof was an equipment storage building at a trucking company. The third building was a business. In Harrisburg, the roof of a manufacturing building partially collapsed and damaged a gas line. Another manufacturing building in Marion lost part of its roof, which started a small fire. The building was totalled. The weight of ice and snow caused the roof of the Williamson County Pavilion to bow significantly. The pavilion is used for large public events such as boat shows. The roofs of at least six other buildings in Franklin, Jackson, and Williamson Counties caved in. Falling ice caused damage to guttering and facades of several other buildings. Awnings were damaged. In Carbondale, the windshields and roofs of fourteen cars were crushed by an avalanche of ice and snow from a strip mall. Roof collapses also occurred in Pulaski, Union, Wayne, and Hamilton Counties. In Wayne County, at least eight roof collapses occurred in the Fairfield area alone. Numerous motorists were stranded in snow and sleet, but few accidents were reported. Ambulances had trouble reaching some people who called for help after slipping and falling.

An area of low pressure formed along the Gulf Coast, then tracked slowly east-northeast. High pressure remained anchored west of the Great Lakes, keeping a cold northeast wind flow in place in the lowest levels of the atmosphere. Copious amounts of moisture moved up from the southwest and overrode the cold air in the low levels. This moisture interacted with a couple of disturbances in the upper levels of the atmosphere moving from west to east across the region.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 148760. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.