The City of St. Louis moved into a Code Blue Level 3 emergency on Sunday after overnight temperatures slipped below 25°F, triggering extra shelter space and shuttle pickups aimed at getting people out of the brutal cold. The shift activates hundreds of temporary beds on top of the year‑round system and sends timed shuttle circuits and warming options across the city into motion.
According to City of St. Louis Government, rally points are operating at Centenary United Methodist, the Loughborough Commons parking lot and the Urban League Women's Business Center. Walk‑up shelters include the Peter & Paul Jugan and Sidney shelters and the Biddle Housing Opportunities Center. The city notes that transportation from rally points is scheduled between 5 and 7 p.m., that additional shelter space can be located by calling 211, and that officials expect to remain at Level 3 through the morning of Feb. 24.
What Level 3 Means
Level 3 is a partial activation in the city’s winter plan, which kicks in when temperatures hit about 25°F or below. At that point the system typically offers the baseline of about 400 year‑round shelter beds plus surge capacity of up to roughly 450 additional spots, along with rally points, timed transportation circuits and warming buses. The triggers and resources at each activation level are detailed on the City of St. Louis inclement weather operations page.
How The Shuttle Has Performed
The shuttle program, a partnership between the city, Bi‑State/Metro Transit and shelter providers, has been in place since January and has already moved hundreds of people in from the cold, helping cut down on emergency calls tied to fires and unsafe heating attempts. Mayor Cara Spencer told St. Louis Magazine that the effort has brought roughly 500 people into shelter since it launched, and city and transit partners say the coordinated routes are saving lives.
Shelters and Rally Points Tonight
Walk‑up shelter tonight is being accepted at Peter & Paul Jugan and other designated sites. Rally points at Centenary, Loughborough Commons and the Urban League location are hosting warming buses or indoor warming spaces, with Metro Call‑A‑Ride shuttles ferrying people to available shelter beds. A City of St. Louis press release explains that each shuttle carries a driver and an outreach worker and that if a walk‑up shelter fills up, staff will direct people to another site that still has capacity.
Need Help Tonight
Anyone who needs shelter or transportation should dial 2‑1‑1 to reach United Way's regional helpline, and more details are available on the United Way 2‑1‑1 page. If you see someone in immediate medical distress, call 911.
City outreach workers and transit operators plan to keep routes running as long as the dangerous cold sticks around, and shelters and rally points will be monitored closely for capacity while Code Blue remains in effect. Residents can check United Way 2‑1‑1 or the city’s public channels for the latest shelter locations and pickup times.
