Weather: Surprise snow falls Tuesday morning
Motorists found the going slow and slippery when they headed to work Tuesday morning in the Union County area.
About an inch of snow was measured in Anna.
The National Weather Service, NWS, office at Paducah reported that rain changed to snow across most of Southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri before daybreak Tuesday, then across western Kentucky early in the morning.
A steady wet snow fell for two to three hours in many places.
Accumulations averaged 1 to 2 inches across much of Southern Illinois.
Northwest of a line from Cape Girardeau to Evansville, Ind., there was a coating of snow up to 2 inches.
The snow tended to melt on paved surfaces. However, many side roads and untreated roads became slushy and hazardous in Southern Illinois. The snow melted rather quickly as temperatures rose to around 40 degrees.
The Union County Sheriff's Office reported that several vehicles had slid off the road early Tuesday.
The Anna Police Department reported that a truck was involved in an accident Tuesday morning on South Green Street.
The truck slid off a snowy street and struck a tree. No injuries were reported.
Anna police also received reports of several vehicles sliding into ditches.
By late in the morning Tuesday, the snow had ended and the sun was shining brightly.
Clouds returned Tuesday afternoon, but temperatures climbed into the 40s. Much of the snow was gone by late in the afternoon.
Tuesday's snow amounted to .49 of an inch of melted precipitation. Other precipitation for the past week included .09 of an inch Dec. 21 and .01 of an inch Dec. 22.
The past week's rain and snow brought the total amount of precipitation for 2011 in Anna to 72.92 inches. The average for a year in the area is in the range of 40 to 45 inches.
Following ar