Wintry weather that brought 6 to 10 inches of snow across the St. Louis region on Saturday is expected to continue through Sunday, with additional accumulation.
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme cold weather warning for the St. Louis region, with “dangerous cold” expected overnight and Monday morning, including below-zero temperatures and hazardous wind chills as low as 15 to 25 below.
A hazardous weather outlook for portions of eastern and central Missouri and west-central and southwest Illinois will remain in effect from midnight Sunday to noon Monday.
The winter storm is reminiscent — though so far less damaging — than last year’s Jan. 4-6 storm that produced widespread heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across the region.
That storm lingered for weeks because of prolonged below-average temperatures and an unusually persistent snowpack, according to the National Weather Service. Accumulating freezing rain caused numerous power outages, while a layer of sleet beneath several inches of snow created hazardous travel conditions along the I-70, I-44 and I-55 corridors.
Cold temperatures combined with sleet and freezing rain kept ice locked onto roadways for weeks, forcing some school districts to close for several days because of unsafe conditions.
Last year’s storm became a political issue during the St. Louis mayoral campaign, when then-Alderwoman Cara Spencer criticized then-Mayor Tishaura Jones over the city’s snow response.
Now mayor, Spencer said the city has implemented new protocols focused on accountability and quality control. Four hours after snowplows are deployed on a route, neighborhood stabilization officers now check conditions on the ground, she said. The city also is piloting expanded plowing and salting efforts and preparing about 1,000 emergency shelter beds ahead of dangerously cold forecasts.
Spencer said during a briefing last week that crews will begin by treating 450 miles of high-priority routes before moving immediately to residential streets — a strategy intended to prevent side streets from remaining icy for weeks.
“We do not anticipate being able to get to everyone’s street right away,” Spencer said, according to St. Louis Public Radio. “It is our intention to start opening up those thoroughfares once we get those primary snow routes done.”
All nonessential city offices and services in St. Louis will be closed Monday because of severe winter weather and dangerous conditions. Essential employees will continue working to support emergency response and critical services.
The Missouri Department of Transportation said crews worked overnight across the region, with gang plow operations underway on Interstate 70 near Hanley Road and Grand Avenue. The agency urged drivers to give crews space to operate safely.
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.