A winter storm brought a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow to much of east central and southeast Illinois on the 21st. Most of the accumulations were minor, but four tenths of an inch of ice accumulated from the freezing rain over Clay county.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 ILX wrote it up.
A winter storm brought a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow to much of east central and southeast Illinois on the 21st. Most of the accumulations were minor, but four tenths of an inch of ice accumulated from the freezing rain over Clay county.
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 Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 21, 11:20 AM CST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1120 AM CST THU FEB 21 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 1120 AM CST THU FEB 21 2008 UPDATED THE FORECAST TO EXTEND THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM I-72 SOUTH AND WINTER STORM WARNING FROM I-70 SOUTH FROM NOON TODAY UNTIL 6 PM FRIDAY. INCREASED LIGHT SNOW CHANCES TO LIKELY ACROSS THE NORTH WHERE LIGHT SNOW CURRENTLY AS FAR NORTH AS GALESBURG WHERE VISIBILITIES 1.75 MILES. SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS TODAY COULD PRODUCE AROUND 1 INCH OF SNOW ACROSS CENTRAL AND SE IL. SLEET WILL DEVELOP TOO SOUTH OF I-72 DURING THIS AFTERNOON ESPECIALLY FROM I-70 SOUTH. YET ANOTHER WINTER STORM TO AFFECT PARTS OF IL FROM TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THIS TIME AROUND MORE IMPACTING THE SOUTHERN HALF OF IL. RADAR MOSAIC SHOWS LIGHT TO MODERATE PRECIPITATION RETURNS NE OF I-74 NOW BUT NOT ALL REACHING THE GROUND NE OF I-74 SINCE LOW LEVELS WERE QUITE DRY WITH DEWPOINTS FROM 7 TO 14F. HEAVIER LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS RESTRICTING VISIBILITIES TO 1 TO 2 MILES LIKE AT GALESBURG...TAYLORVILLE...PEORIA AND CHAMPAIGN. TEMPS WERE IN THE UPPER TEENS AND LOWER 20S WITH ESE WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH. SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS OVER CENTRAL IL IS FIRST ROUND OF PRECIPITATION. THUNDERSTORMS NOTED ACROSS SOUTHERN MO WITH SECOND WAVE OF HEAVIER PRECIPITATION OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN IL FROM I-70 SOUTH. LIGHT SNOW HAS BEEN GETTING FURTHER NORTH THAN WHAT THE WRF...GFS AND HGM MODELS WERE SHOWING. RUC SHOWS THIS LIGHT SNOW/QPF FURTHER NORTH BUT WAS A FEW HOURS TOO SLOW BRINGING IN IT. BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER SW TX WITH A WARM FRONT EXTENDING EAST OF THE LOW ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES. 1033 MB CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WAS OVER THE MID ATLANTIC STATES AND RIDGING BACK INTO WI AND NE IL. MODELS TAKE LOW PRESSURE EAST INTO THE LOW MS VALLEY BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT WHILE A TROF OF LOW PRESSURE/FRONT EXTENDS NE INTO KY. FIRST ROUND OF LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS COULD BRING AROUND 1 INCH OF SNOW ACROSS CENTRAL IL TODAY. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW SLEET WILL BE POSSIBLE TOO SOUTH OF I-72 ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF I-70. INCREASING ISENTROPIC LIFT NORTH OF LOW PRESSURE AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO PRODUCE MORE WIDESPREAD SNOW OVER CENTRAL IL LATER TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. FREEZING RAIN WITH THE SLEET WILL BE POSSIBLE TOO OVER SE IL BY THIS EVENING. HUETTL && .AVIATION... ISSUED 545 AM CST THU FEB 21 2008...FOR THE 12Z TAFS RADAR TRENDS SHOW SNOW SHOWERS RAPIDLY OVERSPREADING CENTRAL ILLINOIS. MAINLY VFR CIGS WITH A MID DECK ASSOCIATED WITH THE RADAR RETURNS. SOME POCKETS OF SNOW LIKELY REACHING THE GROUND...SO I ADDED SNOW THIS MORNING. I DROPPED CIS TO MVFR AND VIS TO IFR IN TEMPO GROUPS THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. THE PRECIP SHOULD DIMINISH OR END FOR A TIME TONIGHT...SO I PULLED BACK ON PRECIP IN THE TAFS TONIGHT. I KEPT FREEZING RAIN OUT OF THE TAFS FOR NOW...AS THE LATEST TRENDS IN THE MODELS HAS BEEN A LITTLE COLDER FOR THE TAF AREAS. SHIMON && .PREV DISCUSSION... ISSUED 305 AM CST THU FEB 21 2008 ANOTHER WINTER STORM TAKING SHAPE OVER THE PLAINS THIS MORNING...GETTING READY TO CHALLENGE THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE MIDWEST. ACCORDING TO RADAR TRENDS IN THE PRE DAWN HOURS...THE SYSTEM WILL BE BRINGING A MIX OF PRECIP TYPES TODAY...TONIGHT...AND INTO TOMORROW. SKETCHY WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL DOMINATE THE SHORT TERM. MODEL PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN PROBLEMATIC FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. LOCATION OF A GENERAL WARM LAYER FROM 700MB TO 850MB HAS BEEN FLUCTUATING QUITE A BIT...WITH THE NAM PUSHING THE WARMEST WEDGE INTO THE SE. THE NAM/WRF IS BY FAR THE ICIEST. THE GFS HAS BEEN RELATIVELY CONSISTENT IN KEEPING THE MAJORITY OF THE ICE ALONG AND S OF INTERSTATE 70. THE ECMWF AND THE CANADIAN HAVE BEEN OSCILLATING BTWN THE TWO...MOSTLY AGREEING WITH THE GFS. ANY WAY YOU GO...ICE IN THE SERN COUNTIES...AND A WINTRY MIX WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW FOR AREAS ALONG A JACKSONVILLE TO SPRINGFIELD TO PARIS LINE FOR THE NEXT 36 TO 48 HOURS. SHORT TERM...TODAY AND TOMORROW... UPPER LEVEL LOW COMING OUT OF THE DESERT SW TO BRING PRECIP TO MIDWEST TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY. PLENTY OF COLD AIR ALREADY IN PLACE OVER REGION IN COMBINATION WITH RATHER VIGOROUS DYNAMICS WILL RESULT IN A RATHER NASTY MIX OF PRECIP FOR PARTS OF THE MIDWEST. AT THE START OF THE EVENT...PRECIP MOST LIKELY TO BE SNOW ACCORDING TO FORECAST SOUNDINGS IN ALL MODELS. SOME SLEET MAY START TO MIX IN EARLY...AND SLOWLY BECOME MORE AND MORE SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN DOMINATED IN THE SERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA AS A WARM WEDGE PUSHES IN TO MID LEVELS...MELTING ANY CRYSTALS THAT ARE ABLE TO FORM. 00Z NAM/WRF BRINGING THE WARMEST WEDGE IN THE MID LEVELS WITH THE 850MB-700MB LAYER TEMPERATURE FREEZING LINE PUSHING AS FAR NORTH AS CMI BY FRI 12Z. 06Z ISSUANCE PUSHES THAT LINE A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH...ABOUT LINING UP WITH NRN BOUNDARY OF THE WINTER WX ADVISORY BEING ISSUED WITH THIS PACKAGE NORTH OF THE WARNING. AREAS BTWN A LINE FROM JACKSONVILLE TO SPI TO PARIS AND INTERSTATE 70 LIKELY TO SEE MORE SNOW AS QPF IS RELATIVELY HIGH THROUGHOUT THE 48 HOURS...AND COLUMN STAYS MUCH COLDER. AREAS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 TO SEE FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET...WITH SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATION EXPECTED. THREAT COMING FROM SEVERAL PRECIP TYPES AS SNOW ACCUMULATION MAY COME BEFORE THE ONSLAUGHT OF ICE AND SLEET LATER THIS EVENING. IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...ALL PRECIP LIKELY TO BE ICE AND SLEET. TOMORROW...SRN HALF OF THE CWA ANCHORED IN THE MAJORITY OF THE PRECIP ACTIVITY...BUT MODELS HAVE BEEN HINTING AT A BRIEF BREAK BEFORE A SECONDARY WAVE COMES THROUGH...CONTINUING THE PRECIP FOR AN AFTERNOON BURST. TIMING OF THIS BREAK IS VERY PROBLEMATIC...BUT SINCE THE BREAK IS MORE LIKELY TO AFFECT THE NRN TIER OF THE CWA...HAVE LEFT IT OUT OF THE FORECAST MORE OR LESS...FAVORING HEADLINES UNTIL AT LEAST 18Z FRIDAY. NEXT ZONE ISSUANCES MAY SEE AN EXTENSION OF THAT TIME BASED ON HOW QUICKLY THIS SYSTEM CAN MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH THE CWA. LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY... MODELS NOT CONSISTENT WITH HANDLING ANOTHER BRIEF WAVE ON SUNDAY AS A RESULT OF ISSUES WITH PHASING THROUGH THE MID RANGE. HAVE NOT REMOVED SLIGHT POPS FOR SUNDAY. BUT MORE OR LESS QUIET AT THIS POINT BEFORE ANOTHER SYSTEM RAMPS UP FOR MON NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR ILZ047>057- 061>063. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR ILZ066>068- 071>073. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1145 AM CST THU FEB 21 2008 ILZ027>031-036-037-040-041-221200- FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-MASON-PEORIA-SCHUYLER-STARK-TAZEWELL- WOODFORD- 1145 AM CST THU FEB 21 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW IS LIKELY TODAY AND INTO THIS EVENING. SNOW ACCUMULATION MAY REACH 1 TO 2 INCHES...WITH SOME ISOLATED 3 INCH AMOUNTS POSSIBLE FROM PEORIA SOUTH. THE ILLINOIS RIVER REMAINS IN FLOOD FROM LASALLE SOUTH TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE SPOON RIVER REMAINS IN FLOOD NEAR LONDON MILLS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ANOTHER PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP FRIDAY MORNING...WITH AN ADDITIONAL INCH OR TWO OF SNOW POSSIBLE BEFORE PRECIPITATION ENDS BY FRIDAY EVENING. THE NEXT STORM ON THE HORIZON IS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY...WITH SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. THE ILLINOIS RIVER WILL REMAIN IN FLOOD FROM LASALLE SOUTH TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT LEAST THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE SPOON RIVER SHOULD DROP BELOW FLOOD STAGE ON THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ047>057-061>063-221200- CASS-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-COLES-CUMBERLAND-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-MACON-MENARD- MORGAN-MOULTRIE-SANGAMON-SCOTT-SHELBY- 1145 AM CST THU FEB 21 2008 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TODAY AND THIS EVENING...WITH A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW POSSIBLE SOUTH OF A LINE FROM BEARDSTOWN TO DECATUR TO PARIS. SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATION MAY REACH UP TO 2 INCHES BY THIS EVENING...WITH SOME ISOLATED 2 TO 4 INCH AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. TRAVEL WILL BECOME HAZARDOUS LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. USE CAUTION IF YOU PLAN ON TRAVELING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ANOTHER PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW AND SLEET IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP FRIDAY MORNING...WITH AN ADDITIONAL TWO INCHES OF ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE BEFORE PRECIPITATION ENDS FRIDAY EVENING. THE NEXT STORM ON THE HORIZON IS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY...WITH SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ038-042>046-221200- CHAMPAIGN-DE WITT-LOGAN-MCLEAN-PIATT-VERMILION- 1145 AM CST THU FEB 21 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TODAY AND THIS EVENING. SNOW ACCUMULATION MAY REACH UP TO 2 INCHES...WITH SOME ISOLATED 2 TO 4 INCH AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ANOTHER PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP FRIDAY MORNING...WITH AN ADDITIONAL TWO INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE BEFORE PRECIPITATION ENDS FRIDAY EVENING. THE NEXT STORM ON THE HORIZON IS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY...WITH SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ066>068-071>073-221200- CLAY-CRAWFORD-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 1145 AM CST THU FEB 21 2008 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PERIODS OF SNOW IS EXPECTED TODAY...WITH SLEET DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON. SOME LIGHT FREEZING RAIN WILL EVEN BE POSSIBLE BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING. SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING BEFORE DIMINISHING OVERNIGHT. SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATION TODAY MAY REACH UP TO TWO INCHES...WITH SOME LIGHT ICING POSSIBLE FROM FREEZING RAIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF I-70. TRAVEL WILL BECOME HAZARDOUS TODAY AND TONIGHT. USE CAUTION IF YOU PLAN ON TRAVELING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE NEXT WAVE OF PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN EARLY FRIDAY MORNING...WITH FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET SOUTH OF I-70. SNOW AND SLEET WILL BE MORE PROMINENT NORTH OF I-70. FREEZING RAIN MAY DEPOSIT OVER ONE QUARTER INCH OF ICE ON FRIDAY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM OLNEY TO ROBINSON...WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN UP TO I-70. NORTH OF I-70...SLEET AND SNOW IS EXPECTED ON FRIDAY. SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATION MAY REACH UP TO 3 INCHES BEFORE PRECIPITATION ENDS FRIDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. KH/SHIMON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Four tenths of an inch of ice accumulation was reported from freezing rain.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, February 2008
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: 83410.