ST. LOUIS — When should we expect the two rounds of winter weather in the forecast? Meteorologists Angela Hutti and Chris Higgins have an update on the timing of Friday’s snowfall and next week’s major weather event.
Friday & Saturday
Higgins says that a light mix of rain and snow is likely to spread across much of the region on Friday evening. Temperatures will be just above freezing, so like last week, much of what falls will not stick to road surfaces but may stick to grass and elevated surfaces like decks and car tops.
At this time, the most likely areas to see some very light, slushy, snow accumulation Friday night. They are roughly along and south of I-44 in Missouri and through much of southern Illinois. This area may see a dusting or up to a half inch of snow. One or two spots may be close to one inch, but that’s going to be the exception.
The timing for the Friday night “mini-storm” is centered between 5 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday morning. The outcome from this will be similar to what we saw last week in most cases. A second weaker system will spread another quick round of rain and snow showers across the region on Saturday night. The accumulation, if any, will be very minor and on the grass.
Monday & Tuesday
Chris Higgings writes that after the weekend minor snow events, attention turns quickly to what will be a potent winter storm slated to impact the middle of the nation. There are still plenty of questions about the exact track and the very critical temperature profiles that will determine rain versus heavy, wet snow.
All indications at this point indicate that the transition will fall within the St. Louis region. While amounts and types of precipitation are still very uncertain (and will be for several days) it is very clear that significant rain and wind will accompany this system, regardless of whether it eventually switches over to snow.
Wind gusts could reach or exceed 40 mph, which is plausible in a system of this magnitude. The system has the potential to produce one inch or more of snow or rain, which will be welcome considering the current drought situation. How much, if any, will fall as snow is still a matter to be ironed out.
No matter how the details play out—snow or no snow—this is likely to be the most intense storm of the season so far.
