Williamson County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan
December 15, 2008
during cold weather events can lower the Wind Chill Factor (how cold the air feels on your skin), which can lower the time it takes for frostbite and hypothermia to affect a person’s body. Previous Occurrences for Winter Storm Hazard The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) database identified 28 winter storm and extreme cold events for Williamson County since 1950. The most recent event in the NCDC database was in December 2004 and resulted in one death. A major winter storm dumped from 10 to 20 inches of snow across most of southern Illinois, clogging interstates and shutting down most businesses. In Johnson County, the roof of a hardware store and a horse arena collapsed under the weight of the snow and ice. Portions of Interstates 57, 64, and 24 were extremely difficult to travel. Numerous abandoned vehicles and jack-knifed semis blocked portions of these highways. The near-blizzard conditions stranded many interstate travelers in hotels, and some hotels on Interstates 64 and 57 were totally filled. State police took some stranded motorists to an emergency shelter at the Marion Senior Citizens Center, where at least eight people spent the night. A state disaster declaration was issued for those counties generally from the Marion/Carbondale area east and south, including the Wabash Valley. Those areas received more snow than is normal for the entire winter. The NCDC winter storms are listed in Table 4-35. Additional details for NCDC events are included in Appendix D. Source: NCDC More recently still, and not yet added to the NCDC database, multiple ice storms struck Williamson County and other areas of southern Illinois in the winter of 2007–08. The storm of February 11–12, 2008 caused loss of electrical service to more than 27,000 homes in the area, closed traffic on Interstate 57 through Williamson County, and closed schools, the university, and business activity throughout the region. Table 4-35: Winter Storm Events Location or County
Date
Type
Magnitude
Deaths
Injuries
Property Damage
Crop Damage
Southern Illinois
3/8/1994
Snow
N/A
0
0
500K
0
Williamson
9/24/1995
Frost
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
12/8/1995
Snow
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
12/9/1995
Extreme Cold
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
1/2/1996
Winter Storm
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
1/6/1996
Winter Storm
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
2/2/1996
Extreme Cold
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
12/16/1996
Winter Storm
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
1/8/1997
Winter Storm
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
1/10/1997
Extreme Windchill
N/A
1
0
0
0
Williamson
1/15/1997
Ice Storm
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
4/10/1997
Snow
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
4/18/1997
Frost
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
1/17/1998
Freezing Rain
N/A
0
0
0
0
Williamson
12/21/1998
Freezing Rain
N/A
0
0
0
0
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