Storms rolling into metro-east. Tornado watch remains in St. Clair County into evening
Metro-east residents can expect a stormy ride Wednesday afternoon.
The National Weather Service has placed the metro-east under a tornado watch until 7 p.m.
The threats include tornadoes, baseball-size hail and damaging winds. Some tornadoes could be in the EF-2 category, which means they would produce winds of 111 mph to 135 mph, according to the weather service forecast.
A system of thunderstorms has already produced tornadoes in Missouri on Wednesday morning, the weather service said.
“Severe thunderstorms” are possible Wednesday across parts of the St. Louis region, including the metro-east from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., according to the forecast from the weather agency.
The threats include tornadoes, baseball-size hail and damaging winds.
Chris Kimble, a meteorologist with the weather service in St. Louis, said residents should be alert for a potential tornado warning on Wednesday.
“If a warning is issued, we will want people to take shelter in a sturdy location, away from exterior walls and windows until that warning is expired,” Kimble said.
Along with the threats on Wednesday, “excessive rainfall” is expected to occur from Thursday to Saturday.
“A stalled front will result in numerous rounds of showers and thunderstorms Thursday-Saturday,” according to the forecast.
On the southern side of the metro-east, including parts of St. Clair and Monroe counties, there is up to a 53% chance of getting five or more inches of rain by Saturday. Areas south into Carbondale and Kentucky could see up to 15 inches of rain.
The chances for this much rain in most of Madison County are pegged at 45%. The metro-east is under a flood watch until Saturday night.
Here is the Enhanced Fujita Scale the National Weather Service uses to classify wind speeds in tornadoes:
- EF0.....65 to 85 mph
- EF1.....86 to 110 mph
- EF2.....111 to 135 mph
- EF3.....136 to 165 mph
- EF4.....166 to 200 mph
- EF5.....>200 mph
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 10:15 AM.
