Low pressure tracking from Oklahoma into the Ohio River Valley brought heavy snow to west-central Illinois during the morning and early afternoon of February 26th. In excess of 4 inches fell along and west of the Illinois River, with the highest totals of 5 to 8 inches occurring across portions of Stark, Knox, and Schuyler counties.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Low pressure tracking from Oklahoma into the Ohio River Valley brought heavy snow to west-central Illinois during the morning and early afternoon of February 26th. In excess of 4 inches fell along and west of the Illinois River, with the highest totals of 5 to 8 inches occurring across portions of Stark, Knox, and Schuyler counties. Several road closures and power outages were reported due to the heavy, wet snow and 25 to 35 mph winds.
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 25, 11:58 PM CST, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1158 PM CST MON FEB 25 2013 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 910 PM CST MON FEB 25 2013 PCPN IS STARTING TO ADVECT TOWARD THE AREA THOUGH CURRENT RADAR LOOPS IS ONLY SHOWING MIDDLE CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA. STILL BELIEVE NAM MODEL IS TOO SLOW...ABOUT 3-5HRS TOO SLOW...AND PREFER ECMWF AND GFS SOLUTIONS. SO CURRENT FORECAST APPEARS TO BE OK AT THIS TIME. WARNING AND ADVISORY AREAS WILL REMAIN THE SAME WITH SAME SNOWFALL AMOUNTS EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW. THE COUNTIES OF MCLEAN...CHAMPAIGN...AND VERMILION COULD ALSO SEE SOME FREEZING RAIN LATE TONIGHT AND AROUND THE MORNING COMMUTE TIMES...BUT BREEZY NORTHEAST WINDS SEEM TO BE KEEPING TEMPS MIXED ENOUGH THAT TEMPS ARE NOT FALLING JUST YET. ALSO DO NOT SEE A TON OF DRY AIR POISED TO ADVECT INTO THE NORTHEAST. SO EVEN THOUGH ITS IN THE FORECAST AND GRIDS...WILL NOT BE ISSUING AN ADVISORY AT THIS TIME FOR THOSE THREE COUNTIES. PLUS...TIME FRAME COULD BE VERY SHORT AND THE RAIN COULD BE MODERATE TO HEAVY ENOUGH TO PREVENT ANY ACCUMULATION FROM OCCURRING AND TO OVERCOME ANY EVAPORATIVE COOLING THAT DOES OCCUR. SO NO UPDATE FOR THE FORECAST AT THIS TIME. AUTEN && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1158 PM CST MON FEB 25 2013 CONDITIONS WILL QUICKLY DECREASE DOWN TO IFR AND LIFR CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT AND INTO TOMORROW MORNING. BELIEVE NAM MODEL IS A LITTLE SLOW SO BELIEVE ONSET WILL BEGIN AT BEGINNING OF TAF FORECAST. THINKING RAIN TO START AT SPI/DEC/CMI WITH FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW AT BMI...AND ALL SNOW AT PIA...BUT BEGINNING AT 08Z. SPI/DEC/CMI WILL BECOME MIXED WITH SNOW AT TIMES IN THE MORNING AND THEN CHANGE TO ALL SNOW IN THE LATE MORNING. BMI WILL CHANGE TO MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW AS SFC TEMPS WARM IN THE MORNING. THEN ALL SNOW LATE MORNING. PIA SHOULD REMAIN ALL SNOW. VIS WILL BE WORST AT ALL SITES DURING THE MORNING AND SOME AFTERNOON HOURS. WINDS WILL BE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE PERIOD AND GUSTY TO AROUND 25-30KTS. AS SYSTEM MOVES EAST OF THE AREA...GRADIENT WEAKENS SOME AND GUSTS WILL BE GONE FOR THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. AUTEN && .PREV DISCUSSION... ISSUED 300 PM CST MON FEB 25 2013 ANOTHER MAJOR WINTER STORM HEADED TOWARD THE IL RIVER VALLEY LATE TONIGHT AND TUE. WILL CONTINUE THE WINTER STORM WARNING NW OF THE IL RIVER OVERNIGHT AND TUE FOR 4-8 INCHES OF SNOW WITH BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW DEVELOPING TUE AND THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AREAS NW OF I-55 TO THE IL RIVER FOR 2-4 INCHES OF SNOW ALONG WITH UP TO A TENTH INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. USED A BLEND OF 12Z MODELS THOUGH FEEL 12Z NAM MODEL IS TOO SLOW BRINGING PRECIPITATION NORTHWARD INTO CENTRAL IL LATE TONIGHT/TUE MORNING AND WEIGHTED THE ECMWF...SREF AND GFS MODELS MORE. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT STRONG 536 DM 500 MB LOW OVER NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS TO EJECT NE INTO SW INDIANA BY SUNSET TUE. 996 MB SURFACE LOW PRESSURE NEAR THE TX/OK/AR BORDER TO LIFT INTO SE IL BY SUNSET TUE. PRECIPITATION SHIELD OVER SW MO TO SPREAD NE ACROSS CENTRAL IL OVERNIGHT. MAINLY RAIN EXPECTED FROM I-72 SOUTH WITH MIX OF SNOW...FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET NORTH OF I-72 WITH MAINLY SNOW NW OF THE IL RIVER. COULD BE A COUPLE HOUR PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN FROM I-74 NORTH LATE TONIGHT UNTIL 15Z/9 AM TUE FROM BLOOMINGTON TO CHAMPAIGN AND DANVILLE NE AND WILL ADDRESS WITH SPS. WILL ADD ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO AREAS SE OF I-70 TUE PER SPC DAY 1-2 OUTLOOKS. THERMAL PROFILES COOL DURING THE DAY TUE WITH RAIN/SNOW LINE PUSHING SE TOWARD A CHAMPAIGN TO TAYLORVILLE LINE BY DAYS END. DEFORMATION ZONE OF SNOW TO AFFECT AREAS FROM THE IL RIVER NW THROUGH AT LEAST TUE AFTERNOON. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW TO DEVELOP NW OF THE IL RIVER BY TUE AFTERNOON WITH STRONG NE WINDS GUSTING 25-35 MPH. LATER SHIFTS MAY NEED TO EXTEND WINTER HEADLINES INTO TUE EVENING WITH STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS CAUSING SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW OVER THE IL RIVER VALLEY. UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVES NE ACROSS THE NORTHERN OHIO VALLEY TUE NIGHT AND WED LIKELY KEEPING LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AROUND CENTRAL/SE IL WITH SNOW ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 1 INCH ESPECIALLY FROM I-74 NE. ALSO WILL HAVE BLUSTERY NW WINDS. BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES EXPECTED REST OF THIS WORK WEEK WITH LOW CLOUDS AND COLD AIR ADVECTION. LINGERED SMALL CHANCES OF LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS OVER EASTERN IL THU AS UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVES EAST ACROSS PA. LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY QUIET WEATHER WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO OCCUR DURING THIS TIME FRAME WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROF OVER THE EASTERN STATES. CLOUDY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES FRIDAY TO BECOME PARTLY SUNNY OVER THE WEEKEND AS STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROF BEGINS TO LIFT SLOWLY NE. SOME WEAK DISTURBANCE IN THE NW UPPER LEVEL FLOW COULD BRING SLIGHT CHANCES OF LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS BUT TOO FAR OUT TO TIME THESE PLUS LIMITED MOISTURE TO WORK WITH SO WILL KEEP IT DRY. 07 && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR ILZ027>029-036- 040. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR ILZ030-031- 037-041-047>050. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 339 PM CST MON FEB 25 2013 ILZ027>029-036-040-261200- FULTON-KNOX-PEORIA-SCHUYLER-STARK- 339 PM CST MON FEB 25 2013 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO WEATHER PROBLEMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. SNOW WILL DEVELOP IN OUR AREA JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. SOME FREEZING RAIN MAY MIX IN AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE ILLINOIS RIVER WITH ICE ACCUMULATIONS UP TO A TENTH OF AN INCH POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY TUESDAY WITH TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS IN THE 4 TO 8 INCH RANGE...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE WEST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. GUSTY EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS WILL PRODUCE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW AS WELL. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF TO SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS OR FLURRIES TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS THE STORM PULLS AWAY FROM THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. HOWEVER... REPORTS OF SNOW AND OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS LATER TONIGHT AND DURING THE DAY ON TUESDAY WILL BE APPRECIATED. ILZ030-031-037-041-047>050-261200- CASS-MARSHALL-MASON-MENARD-MORGAN-SCOTT-TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 339 PM CST MON FEB 25 2013 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO WEATHER PROBLEMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH A WINTRY MIX OF SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN DEVELOPING AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SNOW...MIXED WITH FREEZING RAIN EARLY...WILL TRANSITION MORE TO SNOW BY AFTERNOON WITH TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS IN THE 2 TO 5 INCH RANGE...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. THE HEAVIER SNOW TOTALS LOOK TO BE MAINLY WEST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH CAN BE EXPECTED AS WELL. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF TO SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS OR FLURRIES TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS THE STORM PULLS AWAY FROM THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. HOWEVER... SNOW AND OR ICE REPORTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED LATE TONIGHT AND DURING THE DAY TUESDAY. ILZ038-042-043-051>053-261200- CHRISTIAN-DE WITT-LOGAN-MACON-MCLEAN-SANGAMON- 339 PM CST MON FEB 25 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO WEATHER PROBLEMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS EVENING. SNOW...FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN WILL SPREAD INTO THE AREA WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A WINTRY MIX CAN BE EXPECTED ON TUESDAY...ESPECIALLY DURING THE MORNING WITH SNOW AND A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN. THE WINTRY MIX WILL GRADUALLY CHANGE OVER TO RAIN BY LATE MORNING OR EARLY AFTERNOON AS SURFACE TEMPERATURES WARM ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN OUR AREA WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES...WITH ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO A TENTH OF AN INCH. LOOK FOR THE STEADIER PRECIPITATION TO MOVE OUT OF THE AREA BY EVENING AS THE STORM PULLS AWAY FROM THE AREA...WITH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS AND FLURRIES EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. HOWEVER... ANY SNOW AND ICE REPORTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. ILZ044>046-054>057-061-261200- CHAMPAIGN-COLES-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-MOULTRIE-PIATT-SHELBY-VERMILION- 339 PM CST MON FEB 25 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO WEATHER PROBLEMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS EVENING. RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN WILL SPREAD FROM SOUTH TO NORTH INTO OUR AREA WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE BETTER THREAT FOR FREEZING RAIN WILL BE CLOSER TO THE INTERSTATE 74 CORRIDOR...AROUND CHAMPAIGN AND DANVILLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A WINTRY MIX OF SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE I-74 CORRIDOR TUESDAY MORNING...WILL SWITCH OVER TO RAIN BY AFTERNOON AS TEMPERATURES RISE ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK. ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH...AGAIN MAINLY CONFINED TO AREAS ALONG INTERSTATE 74. AS THE STORM SYSTEM PULLS AWAY FROM THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT...LOOK FOR SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS AND FLURRIES TO OCCUR INTO WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. HOWEVER... ANY REPORTS OF SNOW OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS LATE TONIGHT OR TUESDAY WOULD BE APPRECIATED. ILZ062-063-066>068-071>073-261200- CLARK-CLAY-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 339 PM CST MON FEB 25 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. AUTEN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Several observers measured between 6 and 8 inches of snow across Schuyler County.
Several observers measured between 5 and 7 inches of snow across Knox County, including 6.3 inches in Altona and 5.8 inches 1 mile northeast of Dahinda.
Several observers measured between 6 and 8 inches of snow across Stark County, including 8.1 inches 2 miles southwest of Camp Grove and 7.5 inches in Toulon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, February 2013
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: 430833, 430829, 430837.