Heavy Snow in Illinois, February 26, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Illinois, February 26, 2002
Start: 2002-02-26T01:00
End: 2002-02-26T19:00
Location: Illinois

February 26, 2002 · NWS ILX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

5 to 7 inches of snow to parts of Champaign, Christian, Douglas, Moultrie, Sangamon and Vermilion counties February 25th and 26th. The snow started the afternoon of February 25th between 2 and 4 PM, reached near 6 inches between 1 AM and 4 AM on the 26th, and diminished to flurries later that day.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
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Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 brought 5.5 to 7 inches of snow to parts of Champaign, Christian, Douglas, Moultrie, Sangamon and Vermilion counties February 25th and 26th. The snow started the afternoon of February 25th between 2 and 4 PM, reached near 6 inches between 1 AM and 4 AM on the 26th, and diminished to flurries later that day. The precipitation briefly started as light rain and sleet before changing to light snow and increasing in intensity during the evening of the 25th. This was the largest snowfall so far this season for this part of Illinois. Northwest winds increased to 15 to 25 mph with gusts of 30 to 40 mph on the 26th, which created considerable blowing and drifting snow, and visibilities restricted less than a quarter mile at times.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 25, 8:40 PM CST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 8:40 PM CST, 4 hours 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
840 PM CST MON FEB 25 2002

MOISTURE CHANNEL SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS SNOW AREA IN CWA ASSOCIATED
WITH ENHANCED LIFT DUE TO FIRST SHORT WAVE SIMILAR TO ETA MODEL.
LOOP OF MOISTURE CHANNEL...IR IMAGERY...AND RADAR DATA ALL SHOW
ADDITIONAL NEW SNOW DEVELOPMENT OVER EASTERN MO INTO CNTRL IL AHEAD
OF APPROACHING SECONDARY VORT LOBE AND UPPER TROUGH. MODELS BOTH
SHOW THIS TROUGH ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER LEVEL JET MAX THAT IS
ROTATING EASTWARD OVER OK AND MAKING THE TROUGH BEGIN TO GO MORE
NEGATIVE TILT AND TRIGGERING ADDITIONAL LIFT AND SNOW DEVELOPMENT.
THIS SHOULD BE THE MAJOR TREND THROUGH OVERNIGHT HOURS...WHICH WILL
BE TRIGGERING MORE SNOW TO REDEVELOP AND MOVE INTO THE CWA.
MOISTURE CHANNEL DOES INDICATE AN EASTWARD SHIFT OF THE SNOW
DEVELOPMENT AREA AND SO THE EARLIER HEAVY SNOW SHOULD NOW SHIFT INTO
THE 3-5 INCH AREAS WE HAVE FORECAST. THE NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES MAY
END UP BEING ON THE LOWER END OF THE 2-4 INCHES THAT ARE
FORECAST...THOUGH SNOW SHOULD STILL COME THOUGH THE AREA WITH THE
APPROACHING TROUGH.  THE COMBO OF THE SNOW AND THE WINDS SHOULD
STILL SUPPORT THE ADVISORY CRITERIA DURING DAY TOMORROW.

THEREFORE WILL LEAVE ADVISORY IN FORECAST AS IS AND WILL JUST
AMEND FOR MINOR WORDING.

.ILX...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WHOLE CWA OVERNIGHT INTO TUESDAY.

GOETSCH

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Christian

When: February 26, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Christian forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.546, -89.277 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sangamon

When: February 26, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Sangamon forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Moultrie

When: February 26, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Moultrie forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.642, -88.619 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Champaign

When: February 26, 3:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Champaign forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.140, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Douglas

When: February 26, 3:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.770, -88.217 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Vermilion

When: February 26, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Vermilion forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.183, -87.733 (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

Every storm in Illinois in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, February 2002

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: 5282237, 5282240, 5282239, 5282236, 5282238, 5282241.