How long will southwest IL drivers see slick, icy roads? Here’s the latest forecast
Metro-east and St. Louis residents are facing “dangerous conditions” and a winter weather advisory as many roads have ice accumulation Monday.
“There’s ice all over the place, and the depth of that ice accretion varies. In some places it’s only a tenth of an inch or so and in other areas it’s up to about a quarter of an inch,” Mark Fuchs, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service St. Louis office, told the News-Democrat Monday morning.
While conditions may be better on interstates and main roads that have been treated, many neighborhoods had ice-covered roads Monday morning, Fuchs said. The St. Louis metro area as a whole has an average of roughly one- to two-tenths of an inch of ice.
Precipitation is expected to continue throughout most of Monday in the Belleville area, and the evening commute may be affected by icy conditions.
The rain should no longer be freezing sometime between 6 and 9 p.m. Monday in Belleville, Fuchs continued, though this is a rough estimate. The possibility of ice depends on not only the air temperature, but also the surface temperature, which has been far below freezing for most of the weekend.
Temperatures should get “significantly warmer” mid-way through the week, with highs in the low 50s forecast in Belleville Wednesday and Thursday.
How to drive safely on icy roads
Here are some best practices to minimize danger on unavoidable trips in wintry weather, from the National Weather Service:
Use your headlights. Bright snow does not guarantee visibility.
Make sure you have plenty of gas.
Leave plenty of distance between yourself and other vehicles. It takes much longer for your car to come to a complete stop on slick roads.
Drive slowly.
Avoid unnecessary trips.
Check road conditions before you leave.
It’s also a good idea to let friends or family know your travel plans and carry a windshield scraper, jumper cables, a flashlight, water, nonperishable food and warm clothing and blankets in your car, according to the NWS.
You can check road conditions online through the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Missouri Department of Transportation.
This story was originally published January 22, 2024 at 11:30 AM.
