A winter storm spread light to moderate snow across northeast Missouri, eastern Iowa, and far northwest Illinois late Friday morning into the afternoon. Snow changed over to sleet and freezing rain during the evening hours across most of the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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 DVN wrote it up.
A winter storm spread light to moderate snow across northeast Missouri, eastern Iowa, and far northwest Illinois late Friday morning into the afternoon. Snow changed over to sleet and freezing rain during the evening hours across most of the area. Snowfall amounts ranged from 0.5 inches across west central Illinois to 5.5 inches in far northwest Illinois and parts of Iowa north of Interstate 80. Freezing rain reports ranged from a tenth to a quarter of an inch.
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 Jan 17, 11:50 AM CST, 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Quad Cities IA IL
1150 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020
...AVIATION UPDATE...
.SYNOPSIS...
Issued at 312 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020
A 1045mb arctic high was located over the Great Lakes which has cold
air locked in place locally. Temps early this morning ranged from
the single digits in the northwest to the low to mid teens
elsewhere. The atmosphere was also very dry with dewpoints in a
similar range.
SPC mesoanalysis and regional radar is already showing a large
area of wintry precipitation across the central Plains. This
region is downstream of a large upper trough where divergence
aloft has been increasing and southerly 40-50 kt 850mb winds have
been advecting in higher theta-e air.
&&
.SHORT TERM...(Today through Saturday Morning)
ISSUED AT 312 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020
Today through Saturday Morning
Main Message:
Widespread snow and a mix of precipitation is on track to impact
the forecast area later today into Saturday morning. Forecast
total snow and sleet accumulations will range from 2 to 5 inches
for most areas. Warming temps to near or above freezing, periods
of sleet, and even freezing rain, will make for a heavier or dense
snow. This will lead to a greater impact to travel even with the
amounts not being very high. The snow will move into the west and
southwest near or after 8-9 am, reach central sections like the
Quad Cities around midday to early afternoon, and into the NE by
the mid/late afternoon.
Snow Amounts:
The highest snow and sleet amounts are forecast generally north
of I-80 and this is the area that stands the best chance for 3 to
5 inches, although amounts around 5" may be more isolated
depending on how much sleet mixes in across the north half of the
CWA. Forecast snowfall amounts were nudged down slightly south of
highway 30 because of the expectation for sleet and freezing
rain/drizzle, and since surface temps are forecast to rise above
freezing southeast of a Sterling, IL to Cedar Rapids, IA line.
But I think it's important not to focus on the exact snowfall
amounts because the impacts from a mainly wet/dense snow, with
sleet and periods of ice, will lead to significant travel hazards
as has been messaged the past few days.
Ice Potential:
One of the biggest uncertainties with this forecast is the risk for
freezing rain accumulation over a tenth of an inch. A tenth to a
quarter inch is possible along/south of I-80; however, it's very
difficult to determine which narrow corridor could receive around
a quarter inch or a little more. The good news is surface temps
will be warming above freezing in the areas that receive the
highest ice accumulations, thereby limiting the impacts somewhat
to a shorter period.
Headlines:
In coordination with neighboring offices left my east-central and NE
forecast area in a Winter Weather Advisory, but all-in-all there
will not be a big difference in impacts in this area compared to
counties west of the Mississippi River in the warning. With that
said, winds are forecast to be a bit stronger in the warning area
from Saturday morning through the afternoon, likely leading to
blowing and drifting snow in rural areas where it wasn't crusted
over from freezing rain. Will let the day shift reassess and
consider possible warning extension to the east as precip won't
arrive there until midday at the earliest.
Late Tonight and Saturday Morning
Once the dry slot overspreads the area late tonight, little
additional snow accumulation is expected Saturday morning due the
absence of a deformation zone associated with the mid-level open
wave crossing through the area. Most places should be under 1
inch. The main story will shift to the increasing NW winds gusting
up around 40 mph or a bit higher in rural areas.
.LONG TERM...(Saturday Afternoon through Thursday)
ISSUED AT 312 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020
The extended period features a very cold start, not much in the way
of precipitation, and a warm-up back into the 30s to low 40s midweek
and beyond.
1. Frigid conditions will be found Sunday through Tuesday with wind
chills plummeting into the teens to mid 20s below zero Sunday and
Monday mornings with somewhat less extreme wind chills in the zero
to minus 15 range for Tuesday morning.
2. North and northwest portions of the CWA may meet or exceed wind
chill advisory criteria of minus 20 and colder both Sunday and
Monday mornings.
3. A storm system is currently slated to affect the area Wednesday
night through Friday with another wintry mix of rain and snow.
Saturday night some lingering patchy blowing snow may be found, but
winds are expected to be diminishing as the system pulls away from
the area. The focus then turns to temperatures. The big caveat in
the temperature forecast is snow cover or lack there of. The current
lows for Sunday morning are between 5 above and minus 5. For Monday,
they are slightly colder; roughly between 3 and -7. The temp
forecast and resultant wind chills are all hinging on what happens
with the short term system. Depending on how much of a crusty snow
cover there is remaining after Saturday, these temps could be even
colder. A positive aspect though is that both potential wind chilly
mornings fall when most schools are not in session, Sunday and the
MLK Jr Holiday. Highs Sunday will struggle into the 0 to 15 range,
with Monday seeing mid single digits and teens.
After the wind chill issue Monday morning, attention then shifts to
a prolonged window of possible precipitation chances which comes
through in waves Wednesday through Friday. The best chances of 40-50
PoPs are Thursday night and Friday. As expected, this far out in the
forecast there are uncertainties-a-plenty with QPF, timing, track,
and phasing differences. As of now, it appears to be a rain/snow mix
scenario driven by diurnal temperature trends. Snow during the
night, changing to rain/snow mix or rain during the day, and back
again. As for temps, Wednesday should see highs in the 30s, with mid
30s to low 40s both Thursday and Friday.
&&
.AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Saturday Afternoon)
ISSUED AT 1151 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020
High impact winter storm will move into the area the next 6 hours
or so. Some brief near white out conditions are likely through
most of the day and evening and then Saturday morning, where winds
look to remain strong. Most sites will see snow, fzra and pl with
vsbys and cigs in the IFR to LIFR category through the rest of
the period.
&&
.DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IA...Winter Storm Warning until 6 PM CST Saturday for Benton-Buchanan-
Cedar-Clinton-Delaware-Dubuque-Iowa-Jackson-Johnson-Jones-
Keokuk-Linn-Louisa-Muscatine-Scott-Washington.
Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM CST Saturday for Des Moines-
Henry IA-Jefferson-Lee-Van Buren.
IL...Winter Storm Warning until 6 PM CST Saturday for Mercer-Rock
Island.
Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM CST Saturday for Hancock-
Henderson-McDonough-Warren.
Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM CST Saturday for Bureau-
Carroll-Henry IL-Jo Daviess-Putnam-Stephenson-Whiteside.
MO...Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM CST Saturday for Clark-
Scotland.
&&
SYNOPSIS...Uttech
SHORT TERM...Uttech
LONG TERM...14
AVIATION...GibbsHazardous Weather Outlook...CORRECTED National Weather Service Quad Cities IA IL 532 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-181130- Buchanan-Delaware-Dubuque-Benton-Linn-Jones-Jackson-Iowa-Johnson- Cedar-Clinton-Muscatine-Scott-Keokuk-Washington-Louisa-Jefferson- Henry IA-Des Moines-Van Buren-Lee-Jo Daviess-Stephenson-Carroll- Whiteside-Rock Island-Henry IL-Bureau-Putnam-Mercer-Henderson- Warren-Hancock-McDonough-Scotland-Clark- 532 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central Illinois...northwest Illinois...west central Illinois...east central Iowa...northeast Iowa...southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT Periods of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain are expected today and tonight as a complex winter storm moves across the region. Impacts from this storm will be blowing snow, hazardous traveling conditions, sporadic power outages, downed tree branches, and well below zero wind chills. Whiteout conditions will also be possible at times in open rural areas. Winter storm warnings and advisories have been issued for the area. Please refer to those products for additional information. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY Bitterly cold wind chills are expected Saturday night through Tuesday morning. Another storm system with a wintry mix is possible Wednesday night through Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed today or tonight. However, reports of snowfall over 1 inch, any ice accumulations, and any impacts from this winter storm would be appreciated. TP
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The official NWS observation at the Moline Quad Cities Airport was 5.3 inches.
A trained spotter 2 miles east of Griffin reported 2.5 inches of snow.
The COOP Observer in Augusta reported a quarter of an inch of ice and 1.5 inches of snow. A public report of 1.4 inches of snow 2 miles northeast of Colusa and 1.5 inches in Nauvoo.
A trained spotter reported 0.05 inches of ice in Industry and 1.0 inches of sleet in Colchester.
A trained spotter reported 0.05 inches of ice in Industry and 1.0 inches of sleet in Colchester.
The COOP Observer 3 miles north of Stockton reported 4.0 inches of snow and a quarter of an inch of freezing rain. A trained spotter reported 3.6 inches of snow 2 miles west of Woodbine.
A trained spotter in Milledgeville reported 0.15 inches of freezing rain and 5.0 inches of snow. There was also a public report of 3.2 inches of snow in Mount Carroll.
A trained spotter reported 6.0 inches of snow in Morrison.
Trained spotter reports ranged from 2.5 inches in Cambridge to 4.3 inches of snow in Galva.
A trained spotter reported a glaze of ice 2 miles west of Coal Hollow. The COOP Observer in Princeton reported 3.6 inches of snow.
Snowfall reports in surrounding counties ranged from 2 to 4 inches.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, January 2020
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: 873384, 873386, 873387, 873390, 873391, 873379, 873380, 873381, 873382, 873393, 873394.