ST. LOUIS — A cold front moved through overnight, with cooler temperatures now starting to take control. A second front with even colder air arrives Friday at the same time as a new storm system, setting us up for a return to winter weather.
The Friday storm continues to come into better focus as we get closer in time. Precipitation will start as rain and sleet, then transition to sleet and snow and then all snow. Accumulating snow is expected.
How much snow will we get?
The snow will be fighting warm ground again, but fall rates should be sufficient to at least partially overcome that. Most of the accumulation will be on the grass, but some slush may build up on roads during the heaviest bursts of snow from mid-morning through early afternoon. Totals will range from 2-4 inches just north of I-70 across the northern metro and northern half of the St. Louis area. Further south, a stripe of 1-2 inches with a spot of 3 inches is possible south of I-70 and across southern portions of the St. Louis region.
When will the snow be here?
The timing keeps creeping earlier. A mix of rain, sleet and snow will begin to spread into western portions of the area before sunrise. A mix of rain, sleet and snow will reach the western suburbs by sunrise. The snow should spread east from there through 9 a.m. Precipitation will be widespread across the area by 10 a.m. By then, it will be mostly snow, except for counties south of St. Louis where a mix of sleet and snow is expected through midday. Snow will begin to end from northwest to southeast between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
How will this impact the roads?
Much of what falls will only accumulate on the grass. However, if there is enough sleet mixed in on the front end, that can chill the road deck quickly and result in more snow sticking than you normally expect. Add to that the heavier fall rates between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and you could see some scattered impacts on less traveled roads, but all roads could be prone to periods of sloppiness until the snow eases up.
