Heavy Snow in Edwards, Illinois

A strong upper level low moved southeast across Missouri, then east across Kentucky. The heaviest snowfall rates were associated with a deformation zone on the north side of the upper low. Snowfall rates were about an inch per hour along an axis from Mount Vernon, Illinois east along the Interstate 64 corridor through southwest Indiana. Numerous vehicle accidents occurred on the snow-covered and slippery roads. Accumulations ranged from about four inches in Mount Vernon to seven inches in the Lower Wabash Valley communities of Mount Carmel and Grayville. To the south, accumulations were mainly an inch or two across the rest of southern Illinois. However, roads that were wet from light rain and drizzle on Valentines Day froze solid there. The ice under the snow was more of a travel concern than the inch or two of snow itself. Gusty winds during the late night hours of the 14th and morning of the 15th caused substantial blowing and drifting. In Edwards County, road conditions were a contributing factor in a fatal two-vehicle collision on the north side of Grayville. A 20-year-old woman was killed (indirect fatality) when she lost control of her car on Illinois Route 130 and slid into the path of an SUV coming from the opposite direction. In Saline County, snow drifts were reported across rural roads two days after the storm. A car slid into a pedestrian on a slippery road in Saline County, causing a minor injury.