Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 24 to 25, 2023

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 24 to 25, 2023
Start: 2023-01-24T21:00
End: 2023-01-25T10:00
Location: Illinois

January 24 to 25, 2023 · NWS PAH · 19 events in 19 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 19 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: $75,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 19

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 PAH wrote it up.

Widespread snowfall blanketed southern Illinois during the night of the 24th into the early morning hours of the 25th. Heavy snowfall occurred along and west of Interstate 57, or roughly along and west of a Mount Vernon to Marion to Cairo line. Snowfall in those areas was generally 4 to 5 inches. Elsewhere, snowfall was in the 1 to 3 inch range. Specific snowfall amounts included 6 inches at Murphysboro, 5 inches at Carbondale and Ava (Jackson County), 5 inches at Cobden (Union County), 4 inches at Sesser (Franklin County), 4 inches at Marion and Mount Vernon, 3 inches at Junction (Gallatin County), 2.5 inches at Harrisburg, and 1 inch at Mount Carmel and Fairfield. The heavy, wet snow was enough to bring down some tree limbs and power lines in the forested areas of Union and Jackson Counties, where 5 to 6 inches fell. The power outages were isolated, and mostly from Ava in northwest Jackson County to the Shawnee National Forest area of Union County. Snowfall rates were quite heavy for a couple hours, even around an inch per hour. Roads were snow-covered and slippery during the heavy snow, with numerous vehicles sliding off the road. Temperatures rose above freezing soon after the snow ended, so treated roads improved rather quickly later in the morning. The snow occurred northwest of a surface low that moved from Memphis, TN to Murray and Owensboro, KY. Once temperatures cooled during the evening of the 24th, enough cold air remained in place for widespread 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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 24, 5:35 PM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 24, 5:35 PM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 24, 3:08 PM CST, 5 hours 52 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 winter weather, 7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Alexander

When: January 24, 9:00 PM CST to January 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Alexander forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Union

When: January 24, 9:00 PM CST to January 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jackson

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Perry

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Williamson

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Williamson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Franklin

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jefferson

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Pulaski

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Massac

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Massac forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Johnson

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Pope

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Pope forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Saline

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Saline forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Hamilton

When: January 24, 10:00 PM CST to January 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Wayne

When: January 24, 11:00 PM CST to January 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Hardin

When: January 24, 11:00 PM CST to January 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Hardin forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Gallatin

When: January 24, 11:00 PM CST to January 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Gallatin forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, White

When: January 24, 11:00 PM CST to January 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: White forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Edwards

When: January 24, 11:00 PM CST to January 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Edwards forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Wabash

When: January 24, 11:00 PM CST to January 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Wabash forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 2023 Every state in 2023 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, January 2023

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1070271, 1070272, 1070273, 1070274, 1070275, 1070276, 1070277, 1070278, 1070279, 1070280, 1070281, 1070282, 1070283, 1070284, 1070285, 1070286, 1070287, 1070288, 1070289.