Winter Storm — Champaign, Illinois

2011-02-01 to 2011-02-02 · Champaign, Illinois

Event narrative

Weather observers across Champaign County measured 1 to 4 inches of sleet along with 6 to 8 inches of snow. Snow-covered and icy roads resulted in numerous traffic accidents. In addition, a 39-year old Champaign man died on February 1st of cardiac arrest suffered while trying to shovel snow at his home.

Wider weather episode

A powerful storm system tracking from the southern Plains into the Great Lakes brought a wide variety of wintry precipitation to central and southeast Illinois on Februray 1st into the 2nd. Freezing rain was the primary form of precipitation south of I-70, where ice accumulations of one quarter to three quarters of an inch were common. Further north, a mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow was observed along and south of a Shelbyville...to Champaign-Urbana...to Hoopeston line. One quarter to one half an inch of ice accumulated further south close to I-70, while 2 to 4 inches of sleet fell across the rest of the area. Further northwest, heavy snow and extremely strong winds resulted in blizzard conditions along and northwest of the I-55 corridor. 12 to 18 inches of snow, with locally higher amounts, were common. New records for 24 hour snowfall were set at 11 cooperative observation locations in central and west central Illinois. The extreme winter precipitation created nearly impossible travel conditions at times and resulted in numerous accidents and injuries across central and southeast Illinois. Numerous county highways and several interstates were closed...including I-55, I-72, I-74 and I-155...from the afternoon of February 1st through much of the day February 2nd. The National Guard made nearly 200 rescues of stranded motorists in central Illinois, and local emergency managers made dozens of snowmobile rescues in rural locations. All schools in each of the 35 impacted counties were closed for at least three days. Power outages were widespread, impacting nearly one million people. Some locations in southeast Illinois, along and south of I-70 were without power for nearly a week after the storm. Damages done to power lines, power poles, trees and other property due to ice was around $10 Million, while snow removal costs for communities in central and southeast Illinois was more than $4.4 Million.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 280612. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.