Heavy Snow, Cass
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cass forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.974, -90.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Illinois, March 8 to 9, 1999
A winter storm developed in the Southern Rockies and moved northeast into Illinois. The heaviest snow fell mainly north of interstate I-72/I-74 from Jacksonville to Danville.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 19 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 5
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 19
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS ILX wrote it up.
A winter storm developed in the Southern Rockies and moved northeast into Illinois. The heaviest snow fell mainly north of interstate I-72/I-74 from Jacksonville to Danville. Wet snowfall amounts ranged from 6-11 inches in a little over 12 hours, though the snow fell for 24 hours. Light freezing rain was also reported in some locations with the snow. In Galesburg (Knox County), 9 inches of snow was reported and in Bradford (Stark County) 8 inches of snow fell. Some other reports includes 8 inches in Avon (Fulton County), 7.5 inches in Chillicothe (Peoria County), just north of Lacon (Marshall County) 7.5 inches fell, 7.3 inches in Congerville (Woodford County), 9 inches in South Pekin (Tazewell County), 7.5 inches just west of Bloomington (McLean County), 6 inches in Rantoul (Champaign County), 6.5 inches in Clinton (DeWitt County), 7.5 inches in San Jose (Logan County), 11 inches in Havana (Mason County), 9.3 inches in Virginia (Cass County), and 6.3 inches in Springfield (Sangamon County). Snowfall amounts averaged between 2 to 4 inches between I-72 and I-70 with less than 1 inch of snow southeast of I-70 where rain generally fell. Some light freezing rain was also reported south of I-72/I-74 but ice accumulations were less than a quarter inch. Dozens of accidents occurred throughout the area during the event with numerous minor injuries.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
19 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Champaign
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Champaign forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.140, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Fulton
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Fulton forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.473, -90.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Knox
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Knox forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.932, -90.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Logan
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Logan forecast zone
- Injuries
- 3 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.125, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Mason
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mason forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.240, -89.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, McLean
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- McLean forecast zone
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.491, -88.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Morgan
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Morgan forecast zone
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.716, -90.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Peoria
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Peoria forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Sangamon
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sangamon forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Tazewell
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Tazewell forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Woodford
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Woodford forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.788, -89.211 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, De Witt
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- De Witt forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.175, -88.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Macon
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Macon forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.860, -88.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Menard
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Menard forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.027, -89.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Marshall
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 41.033, -89.345 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Piatt
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Piatt forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.010, -88.591 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Schuyler
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Schuyler forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.158, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Stark
- When
- March 8, 12:00 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stark forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 41.093, -89.797 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Flood in Oklahoma, March 8, 1999
- Ice Storm in Kansas, March 8, 1999
- Winter Storm in Iowa, March 8, 1999
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Texas, March 8 to 28, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, March 8 to 9, 1999
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, March 8 to 9, 1999
- High Wind in Oklahoma, March 8, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, March 8, 1999
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, March 8, 1999
- Wildfire in Florida, March 8, 1999
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Indiana, March 8 to 9, 1999
- Winter Weather in Michigan, March 8 to 10, 1999
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, March 1999
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5692429, 5692430, 5692431, 5692432, 5692433, 5692434, 5692435, 5692436, 5692437, 5692529, 5692530, 5692531, 5692532, 5692533, 5692534, 5692535, 5692536, 5692537, 5692538.