ST. LOUIS — Friday morning’s commute could be a little slick. Overnight, the St. Louis region experiences snow and bitterly cold air. This combination will make roads difficult to treat and may disrupt some morning commutes.
The daylight hours on Thursday and the evening rush hour will be dry, with near- to slightly below-normal temperatures. The arctic front arrives tonight around 9 p.m. Temperatures will begin to fall more rapidly with the shift in winds to the northwest.
Bursts of wind-blown snow will spread across the region behind the front, starting in our western and northwestern counties between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., reaching the St. Louis metropolitan area between 9 p.m. and midnight, then crossing into Illinois.
The snow will not last very long—maybe two to three hours in any one spot at most. The accumulating snow will be out of our DMA entirely by 2 a.m. Accumulations will range from a dusting to around one inch.
Roads will become slick with the plummeting temperatures and winds blowing snow around. There will not be enough snow to plow, so crews will have to rely on treated salt and chemicals again.
Bitter winds and arctic temperatures will have an impact on the Friday morning commute and school bus stops. Temperatures will fall from near 30 degrees at 11 p.m. to near 10 degrees by 8 a.m. Wind chills will range from -10 to -15 by morning.
Temperatures will remain very cold Saturday, with highs in the teens, but climb back into the 20s on Sunday and the 30s on Monday. The pattern gets very unsettled early next week with an icy mix Monday that will change to rain. Periods of rain will spread across Tuesday and Wednesday and possibly last longer.
