Winter Storm — Madison, Illinois

2006-12-01 · Madison, Illinois

Wider weather episode

A major winter storm hit Western and Southern Illinois from November 30 through December 1, 2006. Up to a foot of snow fell across West Central Illinois while up to an inch of ice and sleet accumulated across Southwest Illinois, including the St. Louis area. Up to 300,000 customers lost electric service across Southwest and Southern Illinois due to downed power lines. In some areas it took a week to get the power restored. Many rural schools were closed for several days due to slick roads and power outages. Numerous buildings and automobiles were damaged by fallings trees and tree limbs. Damages will likely approach $100 million. Following is a short summary of how the storm affected various counties. Bond County: A tree fell on a car causing minor injuries to the driver. At least half of Greenville, IL lost power during the storm. Madison County: At least 75% of Edwardsville, IL lost power due to the storm. Numerous roofs and automobiles were damaged by falling tree limbs. There was one death due to an auto accident and another person died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Fumes from a generator running in a garage entered the home, killing one resident and seriously injuring another. Macoupin County: Emergency Management officials estimated that at least 40,000 of the 50,000 residents lost power during the storm. The southern 1/4 of the county was especially hard hit with most towns from Brighton to Bunker Hill to Staunton losing virtually all power. Monroe County: 142 residents of a nursing home had to be moved to another facility due to power problems. The small town of Maeystown lost all power and 66% of Waterloo lost power. Montgomery County: Emergency Management officials reported that 1 in 4 residents lost power from the storm. Pike County: One person was injured in an auto accident during the storm. The County Health Department in Pittsfield had to be closed because of a sagging roof the result of over a foot of snow. St. Clair County: It was reported that 70% of the town of Mascoutah lost power from the storm. At least half of the residents in the Millstadt/Smithson area lost power. Roofs and autos were damaged due to falling tree limbs across East St. Louis, Alton, and Cahokia. One person was injured in an auto accident in Alton. The damage figures for the various counties is for public assistance only.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 8347. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.