Winter Storm in Missouri, March 2, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Missouri, March 2, 2002
Start: 2002-03-02T06:00
End: 2002-03-02T20:00
Location: Missouri

March 2, 2002 · NWS LSX · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

A winter storm struck central and northeast Missouri on Saturday, March 2, crippling transportation across much off the area. About a 1/2 inch of sleet fell first, followed by 4 to 6 inches of snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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: 16

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.

A winter storm struck central and northeast Missouri on Saturday, March 2, crippling transportation across much off the area. About a 1/2 inch of sleet fell first, followed by 4 to 6 inches of snow. In addition, winds of 20 to 30 mph came with the snow causing poor visibility and drifting snow. Road crews reported that the wind would blow snow back on some roads as soon as they pushed it off.

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 Mar 2, 4:30 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 2, 4:30 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
430 AM CST SAT MAR 2 2002

09Z MSAS DATA SHOWS SFC LOW NR BRANSON WITH SGFNT CAA TAKING PLACE W
OF IRK-JLN LINE. HARD TO DECIDE THIS MRNG AS AVN SHOWS CONSIDERABLE
PCPN TAKING PLACE OVR CWA THIS AFTN INTO EVE...OVER .50 LIQUID AS
SECOND VORT MAX SWINGS INTO PLACE. HV EXPANDED WNTR STRM WRNGS OVER
MOKST OF CWA FOR TODAY INTO THIS EVE. DONT THINK ANYONE EXCEPT NW
COUNTIES WILL RECEIVE OVER 6 INCHES AS MUCH OF PCPN WILL BE RAIN OR
MIXED PCPN BEFORE THICKNESS LOWER ENOUGH FOR CHANGE. HWVR LOOK FOR
2-4 HR SLEET EVENT FOR NMBR OF COUNTIES S-N THRU HEART OF CWA BEFORE
CHANGEOVER. THIS WL TAKE PLACE 16-19Z AND THE COMBINATION ALONG WITH
STG FLG TEMPS GUSTY WNDS AND WIND CHILL VALUES DROPPING CLOSE TO
ADVISORY CRITERIA IN NWRN PTN CWA POINTS TO LONG DAY OF WX ACRS ERN
MO/W CNTRL IL. THIS DEMARCATION OF WINTERY WX FITS IN WELL WITH KSGF
AND KILX ZONES.

WL ISSUE WNTR STORM WRNG FOR TDA AND ERLY TNGT ALG W OF KSPI-40E
KSTL-100 SSW KSTL LN.

.STL...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR KNOX SHELBY AND LEWIS MO TDA/ERL
TONIGHT FOR 6+ INCHES SNOW
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR RMNDR OF E CNTRL MO/W CNTRL IL TDA/ERL
TNGT ALG/W OF KSPI-40E KSTL-100 SSW KSTL LN.

PEDIGO

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Boone

When: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.991, -92.310 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Callaway

When: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM 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: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM 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, Gasconade

When: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM 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, Knox

When: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.128, -92.148 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lewis

When: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.097, -91.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lincoln

When: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM 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: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM 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, Moniteau

When: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Moniteau forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.633, -92.583 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Monroe

When: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM 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: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM 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: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM 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: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM 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: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM 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, Shelby

When: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Shelby forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.798, -92.077 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Audrain

When: March 2, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Audrain forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.216, -91.842 (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, 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: 5280188, 5280189, 5280190, 5280191, 5280192, 5280193, 5280194, 5280195, 5280196, 5280197, 5280198, 5280199, 5280200, 5280201, 5280202, 5281341.