Winter Storm in Missouri, February 25 to 26, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Missouri, February 25 to 26, 2002
Start: 2002-02-25T20:00
End: 2002-02-26T06:00
Location: Missouri

February 25 to 26, 2002 · NWS LSX · 21 events in 21 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 21 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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 LSX wrote it up.

Snowfall of 1 to 4 inches hit portions of Central and Eastern Missouri from late night on February 25 to the early morning hours of February 26. In addition, strong winds developed during the morning hours of the 26th causing some drifting snow. The heaviest snow, 3 to 4 inches, primarily fell from just south and west of St. Louis to the St. Louis area. Many schools across the region were closed on the 26th. Numerous auto accidents occurred during the event, with one death occurring in an auto accident in Cole County.

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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 25, 2:10 PM CST, 5 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 2:10 PM CST, 5 hours 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
210 PM CST MON FEB 25 2002

PLAN ON ISSUING WINTER WX ADVISORY FOR PARTS OF CNTRL IL FOR TONIGHT
AND TOMORROW.  ETA/NGM HAS SHOWN THE MOST CONSISTENCY WITH THE PAST
24 HOURS THAN THE AVN...SO WILL LEAN TOWARD THE ETA WITH THIS
PACKAGE.  PCPN HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS THE AREA PRETTY MUCH AS EXPECTED
AS SHORTWAVE TROF AND ASSOCIATED JET STREAK ARE PUSHING IN FROM THE
CENTRAL PLAINS.  MODEL DEPICTING DECENT 850-500MB FRONTOGENTICAL
FORCING AND MOISTURE CONVERGENCE.  BEST UVV MOVES E OF LSX CWA BY
06Z...BUT MESOETA SOUNDINGS STILL SHOWING A DEEP LAYER OF RH OVER
THE NRN 2/3RDS OF CWA MOST OF TONIGHT WITH SOME MODEST UVV IN
DENTRITIC IC LAYER ADDING TO SOME MINOR ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION.
MODEL QPF HAS 0.2 TO 0.6 INCHES OF LIQUID BY 12Z TOMORROW WHICH
TRANSLATES TO 2 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW...THE MOST BEING IN THE NE.
INITIALLY WARM GROUND AND SLEET WILL CUT THESE TOTALS DOWN BELOW AT
STL.  SO CURRENT AMOUNTS IN ZONES LOOK OK...EXCEPT WILL BUMP UP
AMOUNTS TO ADVISORY CRITERIA IN THE NE.

WINDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED TONIGHT AND TUESDAY...ESPECIALLY OVR W
CNTRL IL AND NE MO AS GRADIENT TIGHTENS AND CAA HELPS TRANSPORT 35KT
850MB WINDS TO SFC.  THIS WILL LEAD TO SOME BLSN...PARTICULARLY IN
ADVISORY AREA.  SNSH ARE A GOOD BET ON TUESDAY AS LAPSE RATES
STEEPEN AS UPR LOW STRENGTHENS AS IT MOVES OVER US.  THE SHSN WILL
END ON TUES NIGHT AS UPR LOW MOVES EAST AND SUBSIDENCE AND DRY AIR
WORKS IN BEHIND IT.

WED AND THU LOOK DRY FOR NOW AS A SERIES OF WEAK S/W TROFS MOVE S OF
AREA. WHILE RH INCREASES OVER AREA ON THURSDAY...SUBSIDENCE WILL
CONTINUE SO WILL JUST HIT THE CLOUDS.

MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE STILL SHOWING A GREAT DEAL OF DISPARITY
LOWERING OVERALL CONFIDENCE IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST.  GENERAL
PATTERN SHOWING A MEAN TROF OVER CONUS BY NEXT WEEKEND WITH
SHORTWAVE TROF 12Z AVN RUN CLOSER TO CANADIAN/ECMWF/UKMET IN DIGGING
A S/W FARTHER SW IN THE ROCKIES BY LATE WEEK WHEREAS THE MRF MOVES
THIS QUICKLY EWD.  MRF ENSEMBLE ALSO NOT AGREEING ON WHAT TO DO WITH
THIS ENERGY ON THE BACKSIDE OF MEAN TROF...SO WILL LEAN TOWARD THE
12Z AVN RUN.  LEE SIDE CYCLOGENESIS DEVELOPS OVER NERN NM AS A
RESULT WITH WAA PCPN DEVELOPING A FAR E AS THE MID MS VALLEY...SO
WILL CONTINUE PCPN ON FRIDAY.  AVN IS QUICKER THAN THE UKMET ON SAT
AS IT MOVES A STORM SYSTEM THRU THE LOWER MS VALLEY THAN THE UKMET
WHICH HAS A SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM.  UKMET HAS HAD SOME
CONSISTENCY PROBLEMS LAST FEW DAYS.  WILL CONT PCPN ON SAT AND GO
CLOSER TO MRF MOS MEAN TEMPS THAN THE MEX.

.STL...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT AND TUES FOR GREENE...
JERSEY... MACOUPIN...MONTGOMERY IL...BOND AND FAYETTE COUNTIES.

BRITT

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

21 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Audrain

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Audrain forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.216, -91.842 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Callaway

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Callaway forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.836, -91.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cole

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Cole forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.505, -92.282 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Crawford

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.976, -91.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Franklin

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.411, -91.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gasconade

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Gasconade forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.441, -91.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Jefferson

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.261, -90.538 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lincoln

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.058, -90.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marion

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.806, -91.622 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Monroe

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.496, -92.001 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Montgomery

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.942, -91.470 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Osage

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Osage forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.460, -91.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Pike

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Pike forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.344, -91.171 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ralls

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Ralls forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.528, -91.522 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, St. Charles

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: St. Charles forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.782, -90.675 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, St. Francois

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: St. Francois forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.810, -90.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, St. Louis

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: St. Louis forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.641, -90.443 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, St. Louis (C)

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: St. Louis (C) forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.627, -90.198 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ste. Genevieve

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Ste. Genevieve forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.894, -90.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Warren

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.765, -91.161 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington

When: February 25, 8:00 PM CST to February 26, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.962, -90.877 (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

Every storm in Missouri in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, 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: 5282892, 5282903, 5282904, 5282905, 5282906, 5282907, 5282908, 5282909, 5282910, 5282911, 5282912, 5282913, 5282914, 5282915, 5282916, 5282917, 5282918, 5282919, 5283001, 5283002, 5283003.