Ice Storm in Missouri, January 30 to 31, 2002

Name: Ice Storm in Missouri, January 30 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-01-30T05:00
End: 2002-01-31T12:00
Location: Missouri

January 30 to 31, 2002 · NWS SGF · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: $475,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 SGF wrote it up.

A large scale ice storm event developed over southeast Kansas and west central Missouri during the early morning hours of January 30, 2002. Synoptically, a shallow arctic air mass moved through the region dropping surface temperatures in the upper 20s. Strong jet stream winds from the southwest provided the influx of sub-tropical type regime. In addition, deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico surged northward above this shallow arctic air mass to set the stage for a prolonged ice storm.Light to moderate rainfall, fell over the sub-freezing surface temperatures for nearly 36 hours. Ice begun accumulating on trees and power lines from southeast Kansas, and into west central Missouri Wednesday morning. Law enforcement officers and local weather observers reported nearly one half inch of ice accumulated on trees and power lines before 6 am Wednesday morning. The freezing rain, mixed with sleet at times, continued through the day with an additional one quarter to one half inch of ice by Wednesday evening. Total ice accumulations approached one inch thick on tree and power lines by Wednesday night and Thursday. The ice started to weight down trees, power lines and other objects which caused widespread power outages. During the height of the storm, nearly 150,000 people were without power from southeast Kansas, into west central and central Missouri. In addition, trees snapped which caused damage to homes, businesses, and cars. Although most of the main highway routes were wet, secondary roads were ice covered throughout the event. Numerous automobile accidents were reported, along with injuries. The storm system begun to wind down Thursday morning as temperatures rose above freezing. However, additional ice related problems continued through the early afternoon as the melting ice fell on cars, homes and businesses.

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 Springfield, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 30, 3:25 AM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 3:25 AM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
325 AM CST WED JAN 30 2002

BANDS OF FREEZING RAIN CONTINUED TO PLAGUE SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND
PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI THIS MORNING WITH
REPORTS OF ICE ACCUMULATING UP TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH ON TREES AND
POWER LINES AROUND OSCEOLA MISSOURI AND FORT SCOTT KANSAS. DUE TO
THE FACT THAT TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE UPPER 20S...AND A CONTINUED
BAND OF FREEZING RAIN EXTENDED SOUTHWEST INTO NORTH CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA...WILL UPGRADE THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TO AN ICE
WARNING FOR AREAS NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM PITTSBURG KANSAS TO
OSCEOLA MISSOURI THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.

LATEST 08Z RUC THIS MORNING SHOWING TEMPERATURES HOLD NEAR 30
DEGREES IN THE WARNING AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...WITH LOWER 30S
NORTH OF JOPLIN TO STOCKTON TO WARSAW. ALSO THIS MAIN BAND SHOULD BE
CONCENTRATED ALONG THE 92/85H FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THIS WOULD KEEP MOST
OF THE SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL NORTH OF A CASSVILLE TO SPRINGFIELD TO
ROLLA LINE...WITH ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS ALONG THE ARKANSAS BORDER
AND SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI.

MODELS ARE FAIRLY CONSISTENT IN THE LARGE SCALE PATTERN...HOWEVER
ETA SEEMS TO BE STRONGER WITH THE MAIN WAVE AS IT MOVES THROUGH
THURSDAY. ALSO BELIEVE ETA TEMPERATURES ARE MORE REASONABLE WITH THE
SHALLOW COLD AIR MASS. LARGE SCALE LIFT AND STRONG ISENTROPIC LIFT
WILL CONTINUE NORTH OF I-44 THROUGH THE AFTN.

AS THE MAIN UPPER LOW MOVES NORTHEAST...STRONG 25H DIVERGENCE AIDED
IN RIGHT REAR QUAD...WITH ENHANCE THE OVERALL PRECIPITATION
PATTERN...ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI BY TONIGHT. THIS
COMBINED WITH INCREASED PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ABOVE 1.5 INCHES
AND 85H JET (OVER 50 KTS) LIKELY CAUSE HEAVY RAINFALL WITH SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS. ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO AID IN THE HEAVIER
RAINFALL RATES...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE ARKANSAS BORDER. BELIEVE
SOMEWHERE IN SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI...THREE INCH TOTALS WILL BE
POSSIBLE BEFORE IT TAPERS OFF TO FREEZING DRIZZLE THURSDAY NIGHT.

MESOETA SOUNDINGS BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON HAVE A MORE FREEZING
DRIZZLE/FLURRIES SCENARIO...WITH DEEPER MOISTURE OFF TO THE
NORTHEAST. WILL CHANGE FROM FREEZING RAIN TO FREEZING DRIZZLE
THURSDAY FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST BY THE EVENING. NO SNOWFALL IS
EXPECTED ATTM.

ISC GRIDS ALREADY SENT.

THANKS TO ICT/EAX FOR COORDINATION THIS MORNING.

FCSTID = 25/JLT
SGF   39  36  38  21 /  60 100  80  20
JLN   32  31  33  19 /  80  80  80  20
UNO   52  48  50  24 /  40 100  80  20
VIH   38  36  37  19 /  80 100  80  20

.SGF...
MO...ICE STORM WARNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR ZONES
MOZ066>067.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR ZONES
MOZ055>056...MOZ068...MOZ077>078...MOZ088>089.

KS...ICE STORM WARNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR ZONES
KSZ073...KSZ097.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR ZONE KSZ101.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Benton

When: January 30, 5:00 AM CST to January 31, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Benton forecast zone
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.295, -93.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Morgan

When: January 30, 5:00 AM CST to January 31, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Morgan forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.424, -92.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, St. Clair

When: January 30, 5:00 AM CST to January 31, 12:00 PM CST
Where: St. Clair forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.037, -93.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Vernon

When: January 30, 5:00 AM CST to January 31, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Vernon forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.851, -94.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

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, January 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: 5276652, 5276653, 5276654, 5276655.