Winter Storm in Illinois, February 15 to 16, 2003

Name: Winter Storm in Illinois, February 15 to 16, 2003
Start: 2003-02-15T13:00
End: 2003-02-16T22:00
Location: Illinois

February 15 to 16, 2003 · NWS LSX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A winter storm struck Valentine's Day weekend across parts of Southwest Illinois. About 1 inch of freezing rain and sleet fell initially followed by 4 - 7 inches of snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: 6

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 Valentine's Day weekend across parts of Southwest Illinois. About 1 inch of freezing rain and sleet fell initially followed by 4 - 7 inches of snow.

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 15, 3:30 AM CST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 15, 3:30 AM CST, 9 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
330 AM CST SAT FEB 15 2003

...JUST RECEIVED A CURVE BALL WITH THE MESO ETA...

06Z MESO ETA RUN SHOWS CONSIDERABLE MORE SHARPENING OF TROF AND KEEPS
DEF ZONE AND HIGHER RH OVR CNTRL PTNS CWA THRU 00Z SUN. IT ALSO WRAPS
ARND WRMR AIR AND KEEPS E CNTRL MO INTO SW IL IN MIXED PCPN MUCH
LONGER. WILL BEND TWD IT A BIT BUT NOT ENTIRELY AS 06Z RUN HAS BEEN
WARMER EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK. WL KEEP WS WARNING IN SAME LOCATION
AND WNTR WX ADVISORIES IN SAME LOCATION AS WELL.

WILL ADJUST POPS UPWARD SUNDAY BUT WILL LET WRNGS/ADVISORIES STILL
ONLY GO THROUGH TNGT FOR NOW.  WILL ALSO INCR WINDS...UPPER LOW
CLOSING OFF WILL KEEP SFC LOW IN PLACE OVR AR A LTL LONGER WHILE SFC
HIGH IS IS SETTLING DOWN FROM THE N.  THIS WILL INCR GRADIENT AND
WNDS 5 KNOTS OR SO...WILL MENT CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING
WITH THIS ONE.

TEMPS WL FALL SLOWLY THRU THE DAY AND TNGT AS WELL WITH MAX TEMPS
TMW 5 TO 10 DEG BLO GUIDANCE NUMBERS.

.STL...WINTER STM WARNING FOR NE MO/W CNTRL IL TDA AND TNGT
       WINTER WX ADVSRY FOR CNTRL MO/E CNTRL MO/SW IL TDA AND TNGT

PEDIGO

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 15, 12:05 PM CST, 55 minutes before

ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-161800-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1205 PM CST SAT FEB 15 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSOURI
AND WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS IS LIKELY
OVER NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS THROUGH TONIGHT.
A WINTRY MIX OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW IS LIKELY FOR CENTRAL
AND EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS THROUGH TONIGHT.

SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND WEST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS WILL BE FROM 5 TO 8 INCHES WHEN THE SNOW TAPERS TO FLURRIES
EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.  LESSER SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE
FURTHER SOUTH.

IN ADDITION...VERY STRONG WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL
RESULT IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...ESPECIALLY IN NORTHEAST
MISSOURI AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...MAINTAINING LOW VISIBILITIES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

SNOW WILL CONTINUE FOR MOST OF THE AREA EARLY ON SUNDAY WITH MINOR
ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS.

ANOTHER SMALL WINTER STORM MAY PASS THROUGH OUR AREA DURING LATE
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE ACCUMULATING
SNOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OR OTHER
WINTER WEATHER AS IT OCCURS.

TES

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Bond

When: February 15, 1:00 PM CST to February 16, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Bond forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.887, -89.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clinton

When: February 15, 1:00 PM CST to February 16, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Clinton forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.607, -89.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fayette

When: February 15, 1:00 PM CST to February 16, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.000, -89.024 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marion

When: February 15, 1:00 PM CST to February 16, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.650, -88.919 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Randolph

When: February 15, 1:00 PM CST to February 16, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Randolph forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.052, -89.825 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington

When: February 15, 1:00 PM CST to February 16, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.352, -89.410 (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 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: 5340436, 5340437, 5340438, 5340439, 5340440, 5340441.