Despite mostly mild conditions this month, a cold front moved through and brought a brief period of colder weather and snow to the region. Snow began on the morning of the 16th and became heavy through the early afternoon hours.
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 LSX wrote it up.
Despite mostly mild conditions this month, a cold front moved through and brought a brief period of colder weather and snow to the region. Snow began on the morning of the 16th and became heavy through the early afternoon hours. Snowfall rates exceeded 1 inch per hour, helping to overcome warm ground temperatures and lead to hazardous driving conditions. There were some reports of thundersnow as well, an indication of rare atmospheric instability and particularly intense snowfall. A total of 4 to 6 inches of snow fell in a band near Interstate 70. Numerous traffic accidents were reported during the heart of the storm.
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 16, 5:53 AM CST, 4 hours 7 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation
National Weather Service Saint Louis MO
553 AM CST Fri Feb 16 2024
.KEY MESSAGES...
- There remains high confidence (90%) that areas north of I-70
will see a narrow band of up to 4" of snow today. Farther
south, there is also increasing confidence (60-70%) that there
will be a brief period of moderate sleet across southeast
Missouri into southwest Illinois.
- The coldest air since mid January will follow the snow Friday
night into Saturday, with temperatures rising back above normal
Sunday into next week.
&&
.SHORT TERM... (Through Late Saturday Afternoon)
Issued at 350 AM CST Fri Feb 16 2024
I have expanded the winter weather advisory slightly southward
today as the axis of heaviest snowfall looks like it may affect
northern parts of Callaway, Montgomery, Lincoln, and Jersey
Counties.
The storm is on track as precipitation is already developing
across central Missouri snow and sleet is being reported. This is
occurring ahead of a shortwave trough currently over the central
High Plains. The latest runs of the RAP/NAM are showing this
shortwave moving east across the CWA later today. There will also
be an impressive band of mid-level frontogenesis that will move
from northwest to southeast across the CWA that will enhance a
mesoscale snowfall band north of I-70 this morning into early this
afternoon. Forecast soundings from the RAP/NAM support this band
where there will be lift in the DGZ and isothermal profiles below
it for a few hours compared areas south of I-70.
There has been a trend in the HRRR/RAP since last evening to bring
more QPF into southeast Missouri into southwest Illinois later this
morning and this afternoon in advance of the shortwave. Forecast
soundings support a 2-3 hour window of light-moderate sleet before
transitioning to light snow. Given that ground temperatures are
starting out relatively warm and this sleet not last long, will
not issue an advisory at this point but keep our current
messaging.
The snow will move out by this evening as subsidence sets in
behind the shortwave and a surface ridge moves into the area
tonight. Temperatures today will be held down into the lower to
mid 30s by precipitation. The lows tonight and highs tomorrow
will be below normal thanks to cold air advection and fresh snow
cover.
Britt
&&
.LONG TERM... (Saturday Night through Thursday)
Issued at 350 AM CST Fri Feb 16 2024
Temperatures next week will warm back above normal as the upper
trough moves off the east and the upper flow become quasi-zonal
with a upper trough moving across the Midwest on Tuesday and
another on Thursday. Highs by Wednesday may be 15 to 20 degrees
above normal with southwesterly low level flow and 5-10C 850mb
temperatures. There are more ensemble members showing a chance of
rain with the trough on Thursday when a stronger attendant front
will move through the area.
Britt
&&
.AVIATION... (For the 12z TAFs through 12z Saturday Morning)
Issued at 523 AM CST Fri Feb 16 2024
Snow is expected to move into UIN by 12Z and a mix of snow and
sleet is expected to move into COU and JEF by 12Z causing MVFR
conditions. Conditions will be reduced to IFR by 14Z as
visibilities will be reduced in accumulating snow. The St. Louis
area airports will have MVFR conditions by 15Z with IFR conditions
by 17Z in accumulating snow. The steady precipitation will move
out of these airports between 19-22Z. Accumulations at UIN will
likely be around 3 inches with accumulations at JEF, COU, STL, SUS
and CPS between 1-3 inches.
Britt
&&
.LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...Winter Weather Advisory until 3 PM CST this afternoon for
Audrain MO-Boone MO-Callaway MO-Knox MO-Lewis MO-Lincoln MO-
Marion MO-Monroe MO-Montgomery MO-Pike MO-Ralls MO-Shelby
MO.
IL...Winter Weather Advisory until 3 PM CST this afternoon for Adams
IL-Brown IL-Calhoun IL-Greene IL-Jersey IL-Macoupin IL-
Montgomery IL-Pike IL.
&&
WFO LSXHazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service St Louis MO 429 AM CST Fri Feb 16 2024 ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027- 034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-171030- Greene IL-Macoupin IL-Montgomery IL-Bond IL-Fayette IL-Clinton IL- Marion IL-Washington IL-Randolph IL-Adams IL-Brown IL-Pike IL- Calhoun IL-Jersey IL-Madison IL-Saint Clair IL-Monroe IL-Knox MO- Lewis MO-Shelby MO-Marion MO-Monroe MO-Ralls MO-Pike MO-Boone MO- Audrain MO-Moniteau MO-Cole MO-Osage MO-Callaway MO-Montgomery MO- Lincoln MO-Gasconade MO-Warren MO-Saint Charles MO-Franklin MO- Saint Louis MO-Saint Louis City MO-Jefferson MO-Crawford MO- Washington MO-Saint Francois MO-Sainte Genevieve MO-Iron MO- Madison MO-Reynolds MO- 429 AM CST Fri Feb 16 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of eastern and central Missouri as well as west central and southwest Illinois. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Snowfall accumulations of 1 to 4 inches are expected across parts of central and northeast Missouri as well as west central Illinois where a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect through this afternoon. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are asked to report accumulations to the National Weather Service. Britt
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A brief period of heavy snow brought 4 to 6 inches of snowfall. Snowfall rates exceeded 1 inch per hour and led to hazardous driving conditions. Numerous vehicle accidents were reported including on area interstate highways.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, February 2024
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: 1153533.