High Wind in Illinois, February 11, 2003

Name: High Wind in Illinois, February 11, 2003
Start: 2003-02-11T16:15
End: 2003-02-11T17:45
Location: Illinois

February 11, 2003 · NWS DVN · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 8

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 DVN wrote it up.

A narrow but intense line of snow showers, accompanied by some lightning, swept across much of Northwest and West Central Illinois during the late afternoon and early evening producing high winds and heavy snow. The high winds in combination with the heavy snow resulted in near blizzard conditions for a period of about 15 minutes. The strongest winds and worst conditions were generally observed north of Highway 34, where sustained wind speeds of 35 to 45 mph were common with occasional gusts to around 60 mph. The highest measured gust was 74 mph at Pearl City in Stephenson County. There were several reports of trees and power lines knocked down. The squall line generally deposited a quick one half to one inch of snow, but just as quick as the line moved in, it moved out in 15 minutes, leaving behind a bright blue sky.

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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 11, 3:45 AM CST, 12 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 3:45 AM CST, 12 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
345 AM CST TUE FEB 11 2003

LOTS TO THINK ABOUT THIS MORNING.  SNOW MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
PORTIONS OF THE CWA...WITH AROUND AN INCH BEING REPORTED IN THOSE
COUNTIES.  THE ASSOCIATED LOW PRESSURE CENTER IS MOVING ACROSS
CENTRAL MISSOURI...SHIFTING OFF TO THE EAST QUITE NICELY...ALLOWING
FLURRIES TO END ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST THIS MORNING.  SURFACE ANALYSIS
ALSO INDICATING AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT THAT AS OF 08Z EXTENDED
FROM NRN MN TO ERN NEBRASKA.  DECENT PRESSURE FALLS ACROSS MN...SO
IT SHOULD PROGRESS NICELY TO THE EAST.

00Z MODELS APPEAR TO HAVE INITIALIZED RELATIVELY WELL...AND ARE
CLOSE ENOUGH THROUGH 72HRS THAT HAVE GONE WITH A BLEND OF THE
ETA/AVN FOR THE MOST PART.

TODAY AND TONIGHT...AFTER COORDINATING WITH SURROUNDING
SITES...AGREE THAT WITH FRESH SNOW COVER TO THE SOUTH NOT EVEN
COMPRESSIONAL HEATING AHEAD OF THE TROUGH AND SOME SUNSHINE WILL
BRING TEMPS MUCH ABOVE 40 TODAY IN THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE CWA.
AROUND AND INCH HAS BEEN REPORTED AND WEST-SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL HAVE
TO GO ACROSS THIS SNOW FIELD BEFORE IT GETS TO CWA...AND THOUGH THIS
IS TYPICALLY A WARMING FLOW FOR US...IT WONT HAPPEN THIS TIME.  WITH
INCREASED CLOUDS TO THE NORTH...AND THE QUICKER APPROACH OF THE
FRONT AND THE SUBSEQUENT SNOW BEHIND FRONT TODAY WILL KEEP TEMPS
FROM RISING ABOVE FREEZING. SO...QUITE A RANGE ACROSS CWA TODAY BUT
MET CONDITIONS WARRANT.
MODELS CONSISTENT IN BRINGING A PRETTY DECENT SHOT OF SNOW ACROSS
THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE CWA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THIS
IS SUCH A FAST MOVING SYSTEM...AND SINCE THINK IT WILL BE A FAIRLY
NARROW BAND OF PRECIP RIGHT BEHIND THE FRONT...AND MEASURABLE
ACCUMULATIONS LOOK QUESTIONABLE...SO HAVE GONE WITH JUST CHANCE
POPS.  IF HAD HIGHER POPS WOULD BE PUTTING IN ONLY ABOUT 1/2 INCH
ACCUMULATIONS.  SHOULD GET PRETTY WINDY TONIGHT...BUT THINK THAT ARE
LOOKING AT A FAIRLY NARROW WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGH WINDS
BEHIND THE FRONT AND WHEN WINDS DECOUPLE SOMEWHAT IN THE EVENING.
FOR NOW HAVE DECIDED THAT WE WONT MAKE ADVISORY CRITERIA...BUT IT
WILL BE QUITE BREEZY AND WILL WORD TEXT IN THIS MANNER.  WINDS WILL
BE ONLY THING SAVING TEMPS FROM RADIATING OUT TONIGHT...BUT HAVE
GONE ON COLD SIDE OF GUIDANCE.

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY FIRST QUIET DAYS IN SOME TIME...THOUGH TEMPS
ON COOL SIDE WITH BREEZY WEST WINDS WENESDAY.  THURSDAY TEMPS
REBOUND QUITE A BIT AHEAD OF THE FRIDAY SYSTEM.

TWEAKED THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY WX/POPS A LITTLE BASED ON MOST
RECENT AVN...IT APPEARS THAT THE BULK OF THIS SYSTEM WILL MISS THE
CWA TO THE SOUTH...AND HAVE KEPT JUST CHANCE POPS FOR THE SOUTHERN
2/3RDS OF THE CWA AND LEFT NORTHERN THIRD DRY.  OTHERWISE...NO
CHANGES TO EXTENDED.

COORDINATED WITH EAX...STL...AND DMX...THANKS.

.DVN...
IA...NONE.
IL...NONE.
MO...NONE.

LRE

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 11, 6:27 AM CST, 9 hours 48 minutes before

IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007-
009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-121100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
627 AM CST TUE FEB 11 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN IOWA...
NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVED ACROSS THE REGION EARLY THIS
MORNING...BRINGING MORE LIGHT SNOW TO THE AREA.  THE LATEST REPORTS
INDICATE THAT FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW FELL ALONG AND SOUTH OF
HIGHWAY 34...WITH LESSER AMOUNTS TO THE NORTH.  THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED
TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA...THIS TIME BRINGING SNOW TO AREAS ALONG AND
NORTH OF HIGHWAY 30. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE MINOR...GENERALLY A
HALF-INCH OR LESS.  WINDS WILL INCREASE ALONG AND BEHIND THE COLD
FRONT...CAUSING WEST WINDS TO BLOW AT 15 TO 25 MPH...GUSTING AT TIMES
TO AROUND 30 MPH DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE
COLD FRONT WILL ALSO BRING COLDER TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA FOR
TONIGHT...DROPPING LOW TEMPERATURES INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS FOR MOST
OF THE REGION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

THE NEXT CHANCE OF SNOW IS NOT UNTIL FRIDAY...AS A LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM MOVES OUT OF THE ROCKIES AND TRACKS ACROSS OKLAHOMA AND
ARKANSAS.  AT THIS TIME...INDICATIONS ARE THAT PRECIPITATION WILL
FALL AS A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW BEGINNING LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND
CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING.  THE PRECIPITATION WOULD
TURN TO ALL SNOW BEGINNING FRIDAY AFTERNOON.  THERE IS THE
POTENTIAL FOR MINOR TO MODERATE ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW ALONG AND SOUTH
OF HIGHWAY 34 BY FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH LESSER ACCUMULATIONS TO THE
NORTH.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

&&

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING URL:
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DVN (ALL LOWER CASE)

LRE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Carroll

When: February 11, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Carroll forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.069, -89.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jo Daviess

When: February 11, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Jo Daviess forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.366, -90.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Rock Island

When: February 11, 4:45 PM CST to 5:45 PM CST
Where: Rock Island forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.467, -90.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Stephenson

When: February 11, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Stephenson forecast zone
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Henry

When: February 11, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Henry forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Whiteside

When: February 11, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Whiteside forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Bureau

When: February 11, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Bureau forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.404, -89.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Putnam

When: February 11, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Putnam forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.205, -89.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, February 2003

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: 5349016, 5349018, 5349020, 5349021, 5349017, 5349022, 5349015, 5349019.