Live updates: Illinois, St. Louis roads covered in snow, ice as temperatures fall
Belleville News-Democrat
Gusty winds and snow made visibility and travel challenging at times on Illinois 159 through Swansea, Illinois. The metro-east will be under a wind chill warning starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, through noon Friday, Dec. 23, according to the National Weather Service of St. Louis.
Derik Holtmann
dholtmann@bnd.com
It was too early to say how many flights would be canceled on Friday, Lotz said Thursday night.
Lotz recommends passengers download their airline’s app to get the latest information on their flights.
Also, he urges passengers to get to the terminal two hours before departure.
“It works wonders, especially when something goes wrong, you’ve got some time to contemplate and figure out what your game plan is,” he said.
— Mike Koziatek, mkoziatek@bnd.com
Illinois State Police investigate crashes
Illinois State Police said troopers handled 10 crashes with property damage in the metro-east by mid-afternoon Thursday.
No serious injuries were reported.
A spokesman did not know if all of the crashes were weather-related but he noted that as expected, troopers were busy Thursday with the snowy conditions.
Troopers also assisted 15 motorists and had five abandoned vehicles towed as of late Thursday afternoon.
— Mike Koziatek, mkoziatek@bnd.com
St. Louis City road conditions
The Missouri Department of Transportation reported a vehicle crash on Interstate 64 westbound in St. Louis County at 5:17 p.m. and anticipated delays would last an hour. Two right lanes were closed due to the incident.
The department also reported a vehicle crash on Interstate 270 eastbound in St. Louis County at 12:06 p.m. and said drivers should expect delays for about an hour. Delays were reported early afternoon in St. Charles County (on I-70 westbound, due to a stalled vehicle) and south St. Louis County due to a crash on I-255 northbound.
From 12:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, much of St. Louis City roads were listed as “partly covered” in snow, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. This indicates the roads are 50-75% covered. While roads have received some treatment, snow or ice covered significant portions.
— Meredith Howard, mhoward@bnd.com
How are Illinois roads?
Very few of the state’s roadways were free of snow or ice by 4:30 p.m., according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
“Take your evening commute extra slow, and stay in tonight if you can,” the agency wrote in a 4:30 p.m. update on road conditions. “Bitter cold will keep roads extremely slippery.”
Just before 6 p.m., roads across southwestern Illinois were reported to be mostly covered in snow or ice, including in Belleville, Fairview Heights, Shiloh, Troy, Collinsville and Edwardsville.
Gusty winds and snow made visibility and travel challenging at times on Illinois 159 through Swansea, Illinois. The metro-east will be under a wind chill warning starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, through noon Friday, Dec. 23, according to the National Weather Service of St. Louis. Derik Holtmann dholtmann@bnd.com
The Illinois Department of Transportation website gettingaroundillinois.com provides live updates on how much snow is present on the roads. Reports come from plow drivers while they are out in the field.
Roads in southwestern Illinois were still reported as “clear” around 1 p.m. But the department said conditions were changing fast as snowfall picked up. By 2 p.m., roads across St. Clair, Monroe, Randolph and Clinton counties were partly covered in snow. Many Madison County roads were mostly covered at that time.
— Lexi Cortes, acortes@bnd.com
Metro Transit status update
The MetroLink was operating on schedule throughout the afternoon Thursday as snow fell. Metro Transit said it had no weather-related delays in the update it released at 5:55 p.m.
Metro Transit had cautioned riders to expect possible delays as road conditions worsened and reminded them to dress warm.
Just before 2 p.m., the agency announced four MetroBus routes were operating on snow routes, including #1 Main Street-State Street in Illinois. In a 4:20 p.m. update, Metro Transit said some buses had minor delays due to traffic and road conditions.
Metro Transit Information offered extended hours to assist riders during the inclement weather: from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday by phone at 314-231-2345 or by text at 314-207-9786.
— Lexi Cortes, acortes@bnd.com
115 PM Update: the band of heavier snow is moving east and will entirely exit metro St. Louis by 230 pm, impacting mainly SW IL and SE MO. Use caution if you need to travel as road conditions are hazardous in spots. #stlwx#mowx#ilwxpic.twitter.com/cF0FhOuaTq
For the latest St. Louis City road conditions, check online at the Missouri Department of Transportation website traveler.modot.org.
As of 11:30 a.m. Thursday, much of St. Louis City roads were listed as “mostly clear,” according to MoDOT. This indicates the roads are 50-75% clear, with a small ribbon of snow on the road. Shoulders may not be clear.
Although the National Weather Service St. Louis office forecasts 1-3 inches of snow, officials still expected negative effects on travel.
— Meredith Howard, mhoward@bnd.com
A band of heavy snowfall is moving into the St. Louis metro area, with snow beginning to blow across and accumulate on area roadways. A couple of accidents have also been reported. Please avoid travel if possible! #stlwx#mowx#ilwxpic.twitter.com/mhgzoQmcqg
City street departments began preparing for the winter weather earlier this week.
In Collinsville, crews pretreated roads with a salt brine mixture as early as Tuesday, according to a post on the city’s Facebook page. It said crews would begin to plow the roads if 3 or more inches of snow accumulated.
The city of Collinsville reminded residents that the street department’s primary goal during snow is making routes safe for first-responders, so major roads and public facilities get priority.
Illinois State Police District 11 urged metro-east residents to postpone unnecessary travel Thursday-Friday.
— Lexi Cortes, acortes@bnd.com
Metro-east wind chill warning
The metro-east will be under a wind chill warning from 6 p.m. Thursday through noon Friday, according to the National Weather Service of St. Louis.
Brad Charboneau, a meteorologist with the St. Louis office, said wind chills will fall well below zero by Thursday night, with the coldest morning being Friday, with wind chills 25- to 30-degrees below zero.
He projected Saturday’s wind chills will only get to around 0 degrees or the low single digits. Charboneau expects temperatures to break a bit and reach the mid-20s on Christmas Day, when the area finally will see some relief.
Wind chill is a term used to describe what the air temperature feels like to the human skin due to the combination of cold temperatures and winds blowing on exposed skin.
— Garen Vartanian, gvartanian@bnd.com
Winter storm timetable
At 10 a.m., it was snowing, cold and windy in the metro-east. But the worst of the winter storm is expected to begin in the afternoon, with bitter, dangerously cold temperatures coming later in the day.
Snowfall will be heaviest through about 2 p.m., the National Weather Service said. Wind gusts up to 30 mph will begin during the day, increasing after 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. and continuing overnight.
The region could get 1-3 inches of snow. Windy conditions could blow snow around the roads, making it difficult to see where you’re going. Public safety officials caution against driving except for emergencies.
Temperatures are plummeting behind the passage of the Arctic cold front. Here are observations between 800-1025 am from Spirit of St. Louis Airport (KSUS) in Chesterfield, MO showing a 16 degree temperature drop since just after 800 am. #stlwx#mowxpic.twitter.com/POO7nQtBas
The warmest part of the day will be Thursday morning, turning colder throughout the day with dangerously low temperatures beginning Thursday night. The lowest wind chills will be between midnight and noon Friday, possibly down to 35 degrees below zero.
“I want to stress again it’s not all about the snow amounts in this case because we have the wind and really frigid temperatures — this magnifies the impact if you get struck or stranded. There’s more to it than just the snow,” said Brad Charboneau, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of St. Louis.
— Garen Vartanian, gvartanian@bnd.com
Trucks with snowplows were busy keeping up with the demand on Thursday as temperatures started to drop with gusty winds, snow and sleet. The metro-east will be under a wind chill warning starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, through noon Friday, Dec. 23, according to the National Weather Service of St. Louis. Derik Holtmann dholtmann@bnd.com
Cancellations and closings announced
Some local events and services announced cancellations due to the storm, including the following:
LongStory Coffee, 732 S. Illinois St., Belleville, will close early Thursday with plans to reopen 7 a.m. Friday unless otherwise posted.
Sacred Grounds, 223 N. Main St., Edwardsville, closed at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
Santa’s House in downtown Belleville is closed Thursday and Friday. Hours on Saturday are to be determined.
McDonald’s locations in Lebanon, Caseyville, Fairview Heights, Shiloh and O’Fallon will close at 5 p.m. Thursday.
The Gasthaus, 115 W. St. Louis St. Lebanon will close for the evening Thursday.
— Jennifer Green, jgreen@bnd.com
Help us cover the winter storm
Tell the BND what you’re seeing in your community. Send your snow photographs, tips about dangerous conditions and any questions you have about the storm to newsroom@bnd.com.
