 A drop in temperature caused rain to change over to snow,
making Illinois roadways slick and hazardous on New Year's Eve. Most
of the snow fell between the hours of 3 and 8 p.m. Illinois state
highways were nearly all ice- and snow-covered for most of the late
afternoon and well into the evening from Lincoln northward.The
amounts around Logan County varied from nine-tenths of an inch to 2
inches. More snow fell to the north and less to the south.
While the amounts were not all that much around Logan County, the
temperature and rate of snowfall at first caused the roads to become
treacherous.
On New Year's Day, colder temperatures and high winds whipping
snow across highways produced periods of whiteouts and created
patchy black ice over roads, causing extremely hazardous travel,
especially on the highways.
Most of the accidents occurred on New Year's Eve. Illinois State
Police slowed traffic on Interstate 55 with leader cars in some
areas. I-55 in central Illinois was lined with cars and trucks that
had slid off the highway.
[By JAN YOUNGQUIST]
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