Snow storm brings 1 to 6 inches to region

Sunday, January 20, 2019
National Weather Service-Paducah, Ky.

SIKESTON — A strong storm system moved into the region Saturday, dumping widespread snow totals ranging from 1 to 6 inches.

As colder air quickly pushed southward, rain changed to snow as early as late morning Saturday in the Missouri Ozark Foothills, according to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky. The changeover then worked eastward through the afternoon and early evening hours.

“Travel impacts were high, due to the combination of high snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour, strong winds of 35 to 44-plus miles per hour and rapidly falling temperatures below freezing,” the Weather Service said Sunday.

National Weather Service-Paducah, Ky.

Roads quickly became snow and ice-covered, and visibility was very low, the Weather Service said.

“Near-blizzard like conditions were experienced briefly in many areas.There were numerous accidents reported and some roads were closed for a while during the heart of the event,” the Weather Service said.

Interstate 57 in southern Illinois was among the worst hit, which caused the Illinois State Police to close the interstate from Mount Vernon, Ill., to Marion, Ill., for a period of time Saturday evening.

According to the Weather Service, the heaviest snowfall totals were observed across portions of southeast Missouri, southern Illinois and southwest Indiana, generally from around Ellsinore and Cape Girardeau to Marion and Carmi, Ill., and Princeton, Ind., and Petersburg, Ind. Widespread snowfall totals of 4 to 6 inches occurred in this band, with pockets of 6 to 8 inches, and locally up to 9 inches in a few towns.

Across the Missouri Bootheel into western Kentucky and the Evansville, Ind., area, totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches.

The Weather Services said these measurements may be up to several inches higher than the current snow depth, due to various factors, like snow melt and compaction.

“Measuring the snowfall accurately was a challenge, due to the strong winds in place throughout the afternoon and evening hours,” the Weather Service said. “Convective elements, including thundersnow, helped enhance totals in some locations, like Marion.”

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