National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Overview

A strong storm system moved into the region on January 19th. As colder air quickly pushed southward, rain changed to snow as early as late morning in the Missouri Ozark Foothills. The changeover then worked eastward through the afternoon and early evening hours. Travel impacts were high, due to the combination of high snowfall rates (1-2" per hour), strong winds of 35-45+ mph, and rapidly falling temperatures below freezing. Roads quickly became snow and ice covered, and visibility was very low. 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. I-57 in southern Illinois was among the worst hit, which caused the Illinois State Police to close the interstate from Mount Vernon to Marion for a period of time on the evening of the 19th.
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