Snow, High Wind and Low Temperatures to Close Out Mardi Gras Weekend

ST. LOUIS – Yet another weekend of winter weather is in store for the Riverbend – again followed by bone-chilling cold temperatures.

National Weather Service (NWS) Meteorologist Jared Maples said a snow system is moving into the region late Saturday night into Sunday morning. Just before dawn on Sunday, accumulating snow could fall at a rate of an inch an hour – especially from St. Louis to the south and west. In Alton, snowfall totals are predicted to be between 3-4 inches. Since temperatures will be dropping into the single digits possibly during the snow, the snow's consistency is going to be powdery and fluffy.

The consistency will come into play greatly following the front pushing through the area because winds could reach gusts of 20 mph or above. This could cause snow to drift, especially in open areas such as rural farmlands.

Those winds will also bring wind chills expected to dip as low as negative 15 by Monday morning. Temperatures will dip into the single digits, and remain below normal through the early part of next week. Maples said temperatures will increase by about five degrees from Monday into Tuesday.

Wednesday's high will be pushing 40, which is still 10 degrees below normal for this time of year when spring is supposedly just around the corner.

“It's all relative when it comes to weather,” Maples said. “Ten degrees will feel a lot warmer after this.”

Maples also said the sun would return by the early part of next week, as a high-pressure system will be moving into the area.

By next Thursday, however, Maples said another “active system” could push into the area. He could not comment as to the nature of that system, as there are several variables and it is almost a week away from moving into the area.

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