Winter Storm Warning for St. Clair, Monroe counties. How much snow should we expect?
Despite unusually high temperatures and sun at the beginning of the week, the metro-east must now prepare for more standard winter weather, with snow and ice in the forecast for Wednesday.
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for St. Clair and Monroe counties with the prediction of one inch of a snow and ice accumulations of one-tenth of an inch to two-tenths of an inch. The heaviest precipitation is expected to begin Wednesday morning and continue until late into the night.
The warning comes as an upgrade from a Winter Storm Watch that was issued earlier Tuesday. A watch is advanced notice that the potential for severe winter weather exists in a specific area, but it does not mean there is a certainty. A warning means significant amounts of snow, sleet or ice are expected to occur.
The chance of precipitation is 100 percent, with a high around 32 degrees and a low of 26 degrees. Wind gusts as high as 25 miles per hour are possible.
The watch is set to end Thursday at 6 a.m.
Fred Glass, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said the watch specifically named St. Clair and Monroe counties because there is a storm system spreading in from the southwest that will hit those two counties the heaviest.
“That doesn’t mean areas south of that won’t be covered in the watch in the next 12 to 24 hours, but we typically don’t issues watches for where we think there will be lesser winter weather,” he said.
In Belleville, Glass said to expect snow. South of there may see a mix of sleet and freezing rain.
“There may not be much snow at all,” he said. “Those areas might see upwards of half an inch to an inch of freezing rain and sleet.”
The agency predicted freezing rain on Tuesday night between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. with little to no ice accumulation expected.
But Glass called the forecast “dynamic,” adding that it could change frequently before the end of the day Wednesday.
The watch warned drivers to exercise caution on potentially slippery roads during their morning commutes Wednesday.
This is a developing weather story. Please check back to bnd.com for more updates.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 10:50 AM.
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