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ST. LOUIS — A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for much of the St. Louis bi-state metro area starting shortly after midnight Tuesday with the Weather Impact Meteorologists are now saying that snow amounts of will likely stay in the one to three inch range in the metro, with higher amounts well south of St. Louis. Some of our southern counties will likely see 8 to 12″+. 

There’s no getting around it this time. Dry fluffy snow and arctic air is on the way. It’s just a matter of where you live when it comes to how much snow you’re going to receive. This time we will not see freezing rain or sleet. 

The more significant storm system moves in for us as we get into Tuesday. Once the snow starts, it’s likely to continue for a while Tuesday morning, then a break in the afternoon in the metro.  Most of the snow arrives Tuesday evening through early Wednesday morning. A lighter band of snow leaves a dusting to an inch along the I-70 corridor overnight.

By daybreak, another band of snow will try to move in from the Ozarks, but is expected to remain south of St. Louis. Through the late morning and early afternoon, more snow continues to spread through the region, especially south and southwest of St. Louis. This is when the heavy snow begins, as we start to see the bullseye of heavy snow to the south at this point.

The heaviest snow will try to nudge into the metro during the evening Tuesday. 

The Winter Storm Warning area in pink is where the higher dry fluffy snow totals will be located 8 to 12″+. Most of the St. Louis area is currently under a Winter Weather Advisory. Generally accumulations will be under three inches in the metro. 

By the end of Tuesday night, look where the heaviest belt of snow remains. The duration and timing of this snow adds to the fact that we’re going to have a pretty heavy amount of snow in the area because it goes on with consistency for such a great amount of time.

The main difference this time around will be the much colder air for the entire duration of the event. As cold air remains in place, with temperatures in the teens at the surface, I’ll refer you to the map above. Temperatures in the teens usually created much drier, powdery snow. Our typical metric is 1 inch of water equals 10 inches of snow. But in this case, it’s going to be more like 1 inch of water will garner somewhere between 15 to 20 inches of snow. Keep in mind, we are limited in the actual amount of liquid equivalent we see.

This will be all snow, no mixing with freezing rain or sleet. With the cold air in place, any snow that falls will stick. The heaviest snow and biggest impacts will be to the south of St. Louis including portions of I-44 and I-55.

Travel may be very difficult on Tuesday and Tuesday night, especially southwest of the metro. We are going to have snow that’s actively blowing across the roads, as winds may gust over 20 mph at times. Visibility will be reduced, with temperatures in the single digits and low teens most of the day.