Thunderstorm may be heading our way in southwest Illinois. Here’s the latest forecast

The metro-east area can expect to see rain and thunderstorms Sunday night with locations further south in line for more severe weather, according to the National Weather Service of St. Louis.

“We are expecting another round, at a minimum, of widespread rain,” Brad Charboneau, a meteorologist with the NWS, said Sunday morning. “Right now, the St. Louis metro area is probably a little bit north of where the strongest and more severe storms will occur. We’re on the northern edge of the system with the best chances of strong, severe storms to the south.

“Rain and thunderstorms are the most likely scenario for the St. Louis metro area.”

Charboneau said the system will move into the area around 7 p.m. Sunday and be out of the area by 2 a.m. Monday, possibly earlier.

He added locations such as Chester and further south can expect to see the more severe weather, with the most likely threats being damaging winds and possibly a few tornadoes, especially through the late evening hours. Charboneau said those threats drop for the St. Louis metro area.

“Chester is a good line to use,” he said. “The better chances for severe weather are in Randolph County and counties south of there. The threat starts to drop in Monroe County and St. Clair County. That’s kind of the boundary from that point (Chester) and south of there. And even further south there is the greater threat. The farther north we go, the threats will be fewer and far between.

“It’s not impossible but the better threat likely will be further south.”

The National Weather Service recommends keeping plugged into the forecast as it develops, www.weather.gov.

This story was originally published March 6, 2022 at 11:27 AM.