Metro-east could be in the path of more severe storms as NWS issues thunderstorm watch
Another round of severe weather appears headed for the metro-east Thursday afternoon into the evening.
According to Mark Britt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of St. Louis, a line of storms could affect the area beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday. The primary threats, Britt noted, are large hail and damaging winds, with the slight possibility of a tornado or two developing.
The NWS has issued a thunderstorm watch for the region until 8 p.m. Thursday.
“What we’re looking at is a cold front moving into the area that’s going to cause a line of showers and thunderstorms to develop ahead of it,” Britt said Thursday morning. “The prime time for it to hit the metro-east is during the late afternoon and early evening hours.”
However, Britt added, in reference to Saturday’s storms that spawned several tornadoes, “This does not look like what we saw on Saturday. It’s not the same event. But this is another line of some severe thunderstorms.”
If Thursday’s weather comes to fruition, it likely will impact the commute home for drivers.
“People may want to consider what to do during their evening commute,” Britt said. “They may want to adjust the time they leave to go home if they can.”
Britt said the storms should be out of the area between 8-8:30 p.m. while adding wind speeds could reach up to 70 miles per hour with the strongest storms.
“With winds that strong, there could be some local power outages,” he said.
Britt, however, does not expect flash flooding.
“The rainfall in the metro-east will be upwards of an inch,” he said. “The potential for flash flooding at this point is pretty low. The heaviest rains are expected to stay south of the St. Louis metropolitan area.”
Britt offered these safety tips.
“What we recommend is if there’s a severe thunderstorm warning or a tornado warning, know where to go,” he said. “Have multiple ways to get your warning alerts whether that be on your phone or an app on your phone or a weather radio or by watching TV.
“Just know where to go whether you’re at work or school. If a tornado warning is issued, always go to the lowest floor or, if there’s no basement, get into the center part of a building or home. Put as many walls between yourself and the outside.
The National Weather Service recommends keeping plugged into the forecast as it develops at www.weather.gov. Their Facebook page is www.facebook.com/NWSStLouis.
This story was originally published April 20, 2023 at 9:43 AM.