The timing of a winter storm in the St. Louis region is expected to create challenges during the morning cleanup.
The St. Louis Street Department plans to have more than 30 trucks out to clear roadways, beginning about midnight.
“There’s some pretty significant snow volumes in this in terms of a half-inch an hour. So, pavements will continue to be overcome by slushy, wet snow,” said St. Louis Streets Commissioner Kent Flake.
The storm is expected to bring a mix of snow and rain initially around 9 Tuesday night. By midnight, it's predicted to be all snow.
Here is a forecast model simulated radar loop with precip types 💧❄️ that are similar to how we generally think the impending winter storm 🌨️will evolve. Note general trends that this model shows and not its exact output!#stlwx #mowx #ilwx pic.twitter.com/M6IepAPUjZ
— NWS St. Louis (@NWSStLouis) January 24, 2023
“For the metro area, we’re seeing anywhere from about 3 to 7 inches possible on the northern side of the metro area to as much as 5 to 8 inches on the southern side of the metro area,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Melissa Byrd. “The heaviest snow will occur from about midnight to 6 a.m. and then taper off during the morning hours."
“Consider altering your plans, maybe working from home or, if you can, maybe rescheduling an appointment, if you can alter your plans. But if you are out, please take it slow. Know where and when to drive out in this precipitation,” cautioned Byrd.
Few power outages were projected. In fact, Ameren Missouri predicted none.
“We don’t see ice in the forecast. We do see wet snow that could, if heavy enough, weigh down branches and possibly cause a few outages,” said Ameren Missouri Vice President of Division Operations Ryan Arnold. “Our teams are on alert and ready to respond should we have any outages, but we don’t expect any.”
The Quincy and Rolla areas are also under a winter storm warning, although the snowfall accumulation is expected to be less.
The National Weather Service is predicting 3 to 5 inches in Rolla and 1 to 3 inches in Quincy overnight with an additional 2 inches during the day on Wednesday.
