Several inches of snow hit the Sauk Valley, second snowstorm expected

DIXON — Several inches of light, fluffy snow fell across the region Wednesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning at 6 a.m. Wednesday for several counties across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri, including Lee and Whiteside, among others. The warning is in effect until 3 a.m. Thursday.

In Lee County, the main bout of snow hit around 11 a.m.

“It’s just ramping up right now,” Justin Schultz, a meteorologist at the NWS Quad-Cities, said in an interview with Shaw Local News Network.

Schultz said moderate to heavy snowfall was expected to continue in the county until about 6 p.m. After that, “things start to help trail off from there.”

According to the NWS storm warning, the county will get between 3 and 6 inches of snow.

As of 11:10 a.m., “we’ve had no accidents which is great,” Dixon Police Chief Steven Howell said in an interview with Shaw Local.

The NWS did expect there to be hazardous road conditions for drivers.

“Obviously, with roads being at least partially, if not completely, covered with snow, there will be some slick spots. So we want people to, of course, take it slow. Give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination,” Schultz said.

With this storm, one thing the NWS focused on specifically was wind gusts coming from the north, impacting roads that run east and west.

“The snow is looking very much like the light of fluffy variety, so it will be easy to blow around. ...don’t be surprised to run into some blowing snow, reduced visibilities and drifting snow,” Schultz said.

Through the morning, Howell said the department didn’t have much activity related to the snow.

“People are staying home if they can or if they’re going to work, they’re traveling at a safe pace,” he said.

The cities of Rock Falls and Sterling declared snow emergencies for Wednesday, but Dixon did not. However, the police department issued a news release reminding residents of the city ordinance for parking during snow removal.

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Gerrie Carter shovels snow from the sidewalk in front of her home on West Morgan Street in Dixon on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Several inches of light, fluffy snow fell across the region. (Earleen Hinton)

“This procedure will be in effect from the time we reach 2 inches of snow until the side of the street affected is cleared,” according to the release.

Within the downtown area - from North River Street to South Second Street and East Crawford Avenue to West Highland Avenue - no parking is allowed on any day between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., according to the release.

On even-numbered days, like Wednesday, Feb. 12, cars are only allowed to park on the even-numbered side of the street. Then, on odd-numbered days, like Thursday, Feb. 13, cars can only park on the odd-numbered side of the street, according to the release.

“Public Works crews will be working hard to clear the city streets. We ask for your patience and cooperation as we restore things to normal over the next several days if the city of Dixon receives the snow [accumulation] that it is calling for,” according to the release.

Schultz said the weather pattern has been pretty normal for the region during this time of year, but what “we’ve been seeing so far up to this point has really been less active than what is typical.”

“We are expecting another round [of snow] to move in late this week,” he said.

It’s expected to hit the Sauk Valley on Friday afternoon and last until Saturday morning, Schultz said.