The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis, MO has issued a Wind Advisory, alerting residents across a wide area of south central, southwest, and west central Illinois as well as central, east central, northeast, and southeast Missouri about strong wind conditions expected to impact the region, "West winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected," as per an early morning announcement on Tuesday, NWS St. Louis reports.
The advisory, which runs from 6 AM to 6 PM CST Wednesday, warns of potential challenges such as unsecured objects being blown around and the possibility of downed tree limbs and subsequent power outages, the agency urging caution especially for those operating high profile vehicles during these conditions. In addition to the Wind Advisory, thunderstorms are forecasted for today into this evening with a serious notice for a few to possibly turn severe, "A few thunderstorms could become severe with marginally severe hail, damaging wind gusts and a brief, weak tornado," the NWS cautions.
Currently, the region is contending with light rain and a temperature of 56°F, which is a prelude to wetter and more tumultuous conditions promised by a 100% chance of rain later in the day, dovetailing into an 80% likelihood of continued rainfall tonight, according to the NWS update. Residents should expect a drop in temperature to 38°F in the evening as the southeast wind shifts southwest post-midnight.
Looking ahead to Wednesday, the forecast includes rain likely before 3pm and then a chance of a rain-snow mix, adding to the wintery grievances of the community, as the temperature struggles to climb, peaking near 42°F; "Breezy, with a southwest wind 17 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph," the NWS states, emphasizing the gusty overture of this week's weather that will test mettle and infrastructure. Despite the precarious mix of rain and snow, little to no accumulation is anticipated to soothe the worry of any potential accumulative effects on the already sodden landscape.
As the week progresses, conditions are expected to stabilize with clearer skies and calmer winds, with temperatures slowly ascending and ending the week with sunny skies and a high near 65°F on Monday, providing a brief respite from the earlier challenging weather conditions. For continuous updates and further weather-related information, the public can access resources on the NWS St. Louis website.
