The weather forecast calls for anywhere from a dusting to 1 inch of snow early Tuesday in the Jacksonville area.
Near-freezing temperatures overnight were expected to bring about six hours of snow, mixed with rain at times, through Tuesday morning, forecasters said.
Seeing the white stuff in April is rare, but it happens on occasion.
On average, the Jacksonville area receives less than 1 inch of snowfall every April, and mainly in the early part of the month. Most April snows are light, but there are exceptions.
The area was hit with three significant snowfalls between April 1 and April 15, 2018.
Quincy saw 4 inches of snow on April 17, 1953.
On April 14, 1980, Springfield received 6.1 inches, while White Hall had 5 inches and Virden received 4.
About 4 inches were dropped on Virginia on April 9, 1982.
In unusual cases, snows can come even later. Since records began in 1881, Springfield has recorded at least one-tenth of an inch in total snowfall in May on three occasions.
On May 2, 1929, 3 inches of the white stuff dropped in both Carlinville and Alton. Records from the Illinois state climatologist report that an eye-popping 8.2 inches fell that day in Decatur — one of the heavier single-day snowfalls on record in the Soy City.
Not surprisingly, spring snow is worse in Chicago, where the latest measurable snowfall on record came on May 11, 1966 — three days after Mother’s Day.
Snow has been reported in the Windy City as late as June 2.