Snowfall forecast for southwestern Illinois updated by National Weather Service

Metro-east residents can expect snow to start falling around 3 a.m. Friday and continue until the early afternoon, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service of St. Louis.

Marshall Pfahler, a meteorologist with the NWS of St. Louis, said snow will move into the Belleville between 3 and 5 a.m. Friday, same for locations further north such as Edwardsville. For cities south of Belleville like Waterloo, Pfahler said the snow will arrive between 5 and 7 a.m.

He said snow should exit the area between 1 and 3 p.m., leaving behind anywhere from a trace to 2 inches. That’s a slight shift from the 1-3 inches predicted earlier Thursday. The area has been under a winter weather advisory since early Thursday.

“We’ll see a band of snow that’ll move across the area and continue most of morning before exiting in the early afternoon before it pushes to the southeast,” Pfahler said.

He added the snow likely will impact the morning commute.

“The travel impacts from the snow — wherever the snow falls before the sun rises tomorrow — that’s going to be the best potential impact on travel,” he said. “There is some concern we may see some travel impacts during the morning rush, especially the first half of it.”

Brad Charboneau, also a meteorologist with the NWS of St. Louis, on Thursday morning recommended, if people are able, to stay home from work and off the roads in general. He said people who have to travel should give themselves extra time and extra stopping distance. Moreover, drivers should take things slowly.

“This storm will mostly affect the Friday morning rush when most of the travel impact will occur when the heaviest snow will be falling,” he said. “Just be prepared. We really recommend if you can manage it, to just stay home. The snow likely will be enough to cause some travel difficulty on the road. If you have to head out, just take it easy and drive safely.”

Both Charboneau and Pfahler do not expect major problems with the evening commute. However, Pfahler cautioned roads could become slick as temperatures drop below freezing into Friday night. Lows are expected around 15 degrees.

“The main concern is the morning commute, especially since the snow will stop falling shortly before the evening commute,” Pfahler said. “The highmark sun angle will help some of that snow melt on the roads especially after it moves out of the area. However, as temperatures fall below freezing, any wet roadways may have some slick spots on them.”

This latest round of winter weather should be short-lived as Sunday’s expected high is 59 degrees. Monday’s projected high is 62 degrees, Tuesday’s 59 and Wednesday’s 70.

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

This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 4:18 PM.