Cold front could bring severe weather to the metro-east. See latest forecast
Forecasters expect a cold front to bring a regional threat for severe weather in the coming days, but there’s uncertainty about timing and whether the metro-east will see severe storms.
The greater threat period is between Monday evening and Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service, but there is a low risk of severe weather in Belleville Friday night.
“A thunderstorm complex is going to form in Iowa and then move southeast through Missouri and Illinois overnight tonight,” Lydia Jaja, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s St. Louis office, told the News-Democrat Friday morning.
The system will weaken over time and is expected to be fairly weak by the time it reaches the metro-east, Jaja added.
“That said, there is a very low severe risk associated with that, with large hail and damaging winds being the primary threat,” Jaja said.
On Saturday, Belleville is likely to see showers and thunderstorms with a gradual clearing, and severe weather is not likely. Sunday will bring sunny skies with a high temperature around 90 degrees, the forecast says, before more active weather moves in Monday.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty with the timing of that system, and the timing is going to be the determining factor in the amount of severe weather we see and the intensity of severe weather we see,” Jaja said.
The storm system could move in to the metro-east between Monday and Tuesday night, with a greater risk for severe weather if the system moves through on the earlier end, according to Jaja. The cold front associated with the storm system is expected to drop temperatures by about 15 degrees.
Depending on the cold front’s timing, there could be a locally greater severe weather threat with a possibility of large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.
Jaja said it’s important for metro-east residents to keep up-to-date with the latest forecast information.
Belleville weather forecast
Here’s an overview of what the National Weather Service expects in Belleville:
- Friday: Low threat of severe weather at night, with temperatures ranging from 67 to 84 degrees.
- Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1 p.m., with a 60% chance of precipitation. Gradually becoming mostly sunny throughout the day, with temperatures from 65 to 85 degrees.
- Sunday: Sunny skies during the day and mostly clear skies at night, with temperatures from 70 to 90 degrees.
- Monday: 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, with temperatures from 71 to 90 degrees.
- Tuesday: Potential for showers and thunderstorms, with a 70% chance of precipitation and temperatures from 62 to 87 degrees.
- Wednesday: 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms during the day and a 20% likelihood at night, with temperatures from 56 to 76 degrees.
AccuWeather’s forecast calls for an 88% chance of precipitation in Belleville Saturday, a 55% chance Monday and an 88% likelihood of precipitation Tuesday, with the possibility of localized damaging wind gusts from thunderstorms.
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