February 21-27, 2001:

The week of February 21-27 was an active one in the nation's midsection. The period started with a shot of Arctic air, accompanied by two to three inch snowfalls across parts of Missouri, central Illinois, and central Indiana on February 21. By Friday February 24th a large storm intensified over southeastern Colorado. Strong southerly winds ahead of the storm pulled warm, moist air northward from the Gulf of Mexico, fueling widespread and heavy showers and thunderstorms. Maximum temperatures on Saturday reached into the 50s as far north as southern lower Michigan (Figure 15). Rainfall amounts over the Midwest from this storm exceeded two inches in many areas (Figure 16). Some freezing rain fell in a band to the northwest of the rain. Snow fell across much of central and northern Minnesota into northern Wisconsin and the Michigan Upper Peninsula.

A weak disturbance moving through the Midwest on February 26 and 27 produced several inches of snow from southeast Iowa, across central Missouri and into western Illinois. Snowfall totals ranged from 5 to 7 inches in western and northern Missouri to around an inch in western Illinois.