A vigorous late winter storm moved across the Midwest. This storm spread two to six inches of snow across northwest Missouri.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS EAX wrote it up.
A vigorous late winter storm moved across the Midwest. This storm spread two to six inches of snow across northwest Missouri. Strong gusty northwest winds caused considerable blowing and drifting of the snow. Driving was hazardous and numerous accidents were reported.
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 Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 1, 1:15 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 115 PM CST FRI MAR 1 2002 115 PM NEW MODELS A BIT SLOWER THAN EARLIER SO IT LOOKS LIKE HEAVIER SNOW WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTER RUSH HOUR IN MOST OF CWA. EXACT STORM TRACK STILL NOT CERTAIN, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE HEAVY SNOW WILL BE FARTHER SOUTH THAN EARLY AM FCSTS. WS WARNING MOVED DOWN TO MO RIVER AND MAY BE PUSHED FARTHER SOUTH LATER. HVYR SNOW WILL DEFINITELY BE NORTH, BUT WINDS SAT MORNING WILL CAUSE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING WHICH MAY JUSTIFY WARNING FOR SOME AREAS SOUTH OF RIVER. EVAPORATIVE COOLING AND SUNSET WILL BE THE TRIGGERS FOR RAIN CHANGE TO SNOW WHERE TEMPS CURRENTLY ARE ABOVE FREEZING. ALL MODELS CONSISTENT ON HEAVIEST PRECIP FROM MIDNIGHT TO SAT MORNING SO TOMORROW MORNING COULD BE QUITE A MESS WITH THE WIND AND SNOWFALL. ISC GRIDS SENT WITH UPDATED SNOWFALL. MAXIMUK 500 AM WINTER STORM STARTING TO TAKE SHAPE WITH WINTER STORM WARNINGS IN PLACE FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING ACROSS NORTHERN SECTIONS WHILE FROM KC TO MOBERLY A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS UP. LATEST OBSERVATIONS AND MODEL FORECASTS INDICATE THAT A MAJOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW EVENT CAN STILL BE EXPECTED. SATELLITE IMAGERY CONFIRMS THE RETURN OF LOW LEVEL GULF MOISTURE HAS MOVED ACROSS MUCH OF OK SINCE MIDNIGHT. MOISTURE WILL BE ISENTROPICALLY LIFTED OVER SURFACE FRONT WHICH WILL SET UP ACROSS CENTRAL MO. PCPN WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD THIS AFTERNOON WITH HEAVY SNOW AT TIMES ACROSS THE NORTH WHERE THE COLD AIR WILL REMAIN DEEP THROUGHOUT THE EVENT. FURTHER SOUTH IN THE KC METRO AND CENTRAL SECTIONS OF MO...TEMPERATURE PROFILES SHOW ABOVE FREEZING SURFACE VALUES THIS AM AND EVEN WITH EVAPORATIVE COOLING TO THE WET BULB...WILL HOVER AROUND THE ZERO DEGREE MARK SURFACE TO ABOUT 800 MB. THEREFORE...LIKELYHOOD OF DEEP SNOWS HAS DIMINISHED...AND MAY CHANGE TO RAIN AT TIME...ESPECIALLY TO THE EAST AS 850 MB LOW MOVES ACROSS FROM NEAR KC TO MACON LINE OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS EXPECTED FROM STRONG WINDS AS SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH...RESULTING IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN MISSOURI WHERE ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE DEEPER. AFTER THIS SYSTEM...A COLD SPELL WITH READING IN THE SINGLE DIGITS FOR NIGHTTIME LOWS...BUT REBOUNDING BACK TO NEAR NORMAL LEVELS BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. .EAX... KS...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS AFTN THROUGH SAT MRNG FOR ZONES KSZ025...KSZ102. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR ZONES KSZ057...KSZ103>105. MO...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS AFTN THROUGH SAT MRNG FOR ZONES MOZ001>008...MOZ011>017...MOZ020>025. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTN THROUGH SAT MORNING FOR ZONES MOZ028>033...MOZ037>039... MOZ043>044. BROWNING
KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040- 043>046-053-054-021200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 117 PM CST FRI MAR 1 2002 * HAZARDS EXPECTED - WINTER STORM WARNINGS HAVE BEEN POSTED FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...GENERALLY NORTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE FROM 6 TO 8 INCHES FROM THE NORTHERN SUBURBS OF KANSAS CITY...EASTWARD TO MOBERLY. NORTH OF THIS AREA...TO THE IOWA BORDER...6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE. CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW IS ALSO EXPECTED TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR LOCATIONS FROM THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS OF KANSAS CITY...EASTWARD TO MARSHALL. A MIXTURE OF RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING...BEFORE CHANGING TO SNOW THIS EVENING AND ENDING AROUND MIDDAY ON SATURDAY. IN THE ADVISORY AREA...TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FROM 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. THOSE WITH TRAVEL PLANS DURING THE EVENING RUSH HOUR...INTO THE DAY TOMORROW...SHOULD EXPECT HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. * SPOTTER ACTIVATION - MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT TO PROVIDE SNOWFALL REPORTS. DISCUSSION: A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS KANSAS AND MISSOURI LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MIDDAY SATURDAY. IN THE MEANTIME...A COLD ARTIC HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS WILL KEEP COLD AIR IN PLACE ACROSS NORTHERN MISSOURI...WHILE SOUTHERLY WINDS TO THE SOUTH BRING MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE RESULT WILL BE HEAVY SNOWFALL. THE SYSTEM WILL ALSO SPREAD STRONG WINDS AND VERY COLD TEMPERATURES INTO THE REGION ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/EAX OR AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV. MJM
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 heavy snow, 4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Five to six inches of snow reported across county. Interstate 70 closed for a time.
Seven inches of snow reported in Downing.
Five to six inches of snow with considerable blowing and drifting of snow.
Five to six inches of snow in Clinton.
Six inches of snow was reported.
Six inches of snow reported in Livonia.
Six inches of snow was reported with major travel problems from blowing and drifting snow.
Four inches of snow in Trenton with near blizzard conditions at times due to blowing and drifting of snow.
Three to Five inches of snow reported with 2 foot drifts on area highways.
Five inches of snow reported in Keytesville. Considerable blowing and drifting of snow caused many travel problems on county roads.
Up to four inches of snow across the county. Considerable blowing and drifting of snow closed US highway 71 for a time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, March 2002
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: 5284410, 5284306, 5284307, 5284411, 5284302, 5284305, 5284301, 5284303, 5284304, 5284308, 5284309.