Illinois, 2002

Winter Storm in Illinois, March 25 to 26, 2002

March 25 to 26, 2002 · NWS ILX · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

Freezing rain late in the evening of the 25th into the early morning hours of the 26th produced one-quarter to one-half inch of ice in the counties between I-72 and I-70. The freezing rain changed to sleet, then snow before daybreak.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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.

Freezing rain late in the evening of the 25th into the early morning hours of the 26th produced one-quarter to one-half inch of ice in the counties between I-72 and I-70. The freezing rain changed to sleet, then snow before daybreak. Snowfall amounts ranging from 4 to 7 inches, with significant blowing and drifting, occurred along a line from Pana through Monticello to Danville. The combination of ice and snow resulted in downed power lines and tree limbs, along with dozens of traffic accidents the morning of the 26th.

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 Mar 25, 8:50 PM CST, 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 25, 8:50 PM CST, 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
850 PM CST MON MAR 25 2002

WILL UPDATE THE FORECAST TO MAKE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS FOR TONIGHT...
BUT NO CHANGES TO THE GOING HEADLINES.

LATEST SFC ANALYSIS INDICATED LOW PRESSURE IN ECENT ARK MOVING TWD
WRN TN. WATER VAPOR LOOP HAD THE UPR TROF IN THE CENT PLAINS WITH A
PIECE OF ENERGY MOVING TWD WCENT/NW IL. RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING
BAND OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET JUST EAST OF I-55...WITH LIGHT TO
MODERATE RAIN IN SE IL. ALSO...WHAT APPEARS TO BE A DEVELOPING
DEFORMATION ZONE WAS ALONG THE IL RIVER WITH LIGHT SNOW.

AN AREA OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BECOME
WIDESPREAD IN THE NEXT 3-6 HOURS IN THE WARNING AREA AS THE SFC LOW
MOVES INTO CENT KY AND THE UPR TROF RAPIDLY INCREASES THE VERTICAL
MOTION AS IT APPCHS NRN MO. UPR DIVERGENCE ALSO IS FCST BY THE
MESO-ETA TO INCREASE OVERNIGHT IN CENT IL WITH A COUPLED JET
STRUCTURE. THE MIXED PCPN SHOULD CHANGE TO ALL SNOW AFTER
MIDNIGHT...WITH ACCUMULATIONS IN THE 2-4 INCH RANGE BY MID TUE MORN.

WILL BUMP UP XPCTD SNOW TOTALS INTO THE 1-3 INCH RANGE FROM
RUSHVILLE TO THE PEORIA METRO AREA. STILL THINK MOST LOCATIONS WILL
HAVE SNOW AROUND AN INCH...BUT WITH SIGNS OF A PSBL DEFORMATION ZONE
FORMING AMOUNTS AROUND 3 INCHES NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION.

MDT TO HEAVY RAIN IS XPCTD IN FAR SE SECTIONS NEAR LWV OVERNIGHT...
SO WILL KEEP THE FLOOD WATCH GOING. PLENTY OF RAIN...MOISTURE AND
COOLING CLOUD TOPS ALOFT...WITH HIGH PCPTBL WATER VALUES AND
MOISTURE CONVERGENCE TO COMBINE FOR THE HVY RAFL. FLY IN THE
OINTMENT IS THE TEMPS HOVERING IN THE MID 30S. THESE MAY FALL TWD
FREEZING BY MORNING...SO WILL ADD MENTION OF PATCHY FZRA.

.ILX...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING ROUGHLY
ALONG AND SOUTH OF A WINCHESTER TO SPRINGFIELD TO DANVILLE LINE.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING ALONG
A VIRGINIA (CASS COUNTY) TO BLOOMINGTON/NORMAL LINE

WINTER WEATHER ADVSY LATE TNT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR
EFFINGHAM...JASPER AND CRAWFORD COUNTIES

FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TOMORROW FOR CLAY...RICHLAND AND LAWRENCE
COUNTIES.

MILLER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Champaign

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Champaign forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.140, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Christian

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Christian forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.546, -89.277 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clark

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Clark forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.334, -87.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Coles

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Coles forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.520, -88.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cumberland

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Cumberland forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.273, -88.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Douglas

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.770, -88.217 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Edgar

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Edgar forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.679, -87.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Macon

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Macon forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.860, -88.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Moultrie

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Moultrie forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.642, -88.619 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Piatt

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Piatt forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.010, -88.591 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sangamon

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Sangamon forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Shelby

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Shelby forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.391, -88.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Vermilion

When
March 25, 9:00 PM CST to March 26, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Vermilion forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.183, -87.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, March 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: 5286849, 5286850, 5286851, 5286852, 5286853, 5286854, 5286855, 5286856, 5286857, 5286858, 5286859, 5286860, 5286861.