x
Breaking News
More () »

Heavy, wet snow moved through St. Louis area Wednesday morning

Heavy snow fell during the pre-dawn hours and accumulated fairly quickly.

ST. LOUIS — Rain developed Tuesday evening across the St. Louis area, changing over to snow overnight. Heavy snow fell during the pre-dawn hours and accumulated fairly quickly.

As of 7 a.m., the heaviest snow totals were south of the St. Louis area, with most locations picking up 4-8 inches there. In the immediate St. Louis area, lesser amounts fell.

READ MORE: Watch 5+ for free on Roku and Amazon Fire TV 

5 On Your Side provided live updates throughout the morning Wednesday. For the latest forecast, click here.

12 p.m. - The St. Louis area is no longer under a winter storm warning or winter weather advisory.

11:15 a.m. - According to Ameren, 6,945 Missouri customers and 957 Illinois customers remain without service.

Local outages are mainly in the following counties:

  • St. Francois County - 2,763 customers without power. 
  • Washington County - 1,955 customers without power. 
  • Iron County - 947 customers without power. 
  • Jefferson County - 877 customers without power. 
  • St. Louis County - 155 customers without power.

10 a.m. - Meteorologist Anthony Slaughter shares updated snow totals for the St. Louis area as of 9 a.m.

Credit: KSDK
Snow totals so far - 9 a.m. Jan. 25, 2023

9:25 a.m. - Farmington police said there have been several reports of trees and tree limbs down due to the weight of snow on them, which has also caused some power lines to come down. Crews are working to handle the resulting power outages. St. Francois County continues to lead Missouri in the number of Ameren customers currently without power.

5 On Your Side's Elyse Schoenig shared this photo of a downed power line in Farmington:

Credit: KSDK

9:05 a.m. - Ameren continues to report an increase in customers without power. In Illinois, 1,181 Ameren customers are without service, and on the Missouri side, 7,181 customers are without service.

Local outages are primarily in these counties:

  • St. Francois County - 2,730 customers without power. 
  • Jefferson County - 1,440 customers without power. 
  • Washington County - 1,239 customers without power. 
  • Iron County - 1,168 customers without power. 
  • St. Louis County - 383 customers without power. 

8:42 a.m. - 5 On Your Side's Garry Frank reports a little over 1 inch of snow and minor tree damage in Ballwin.

8:37 a.m. - Ameren again reports an increase in customers without power in Illinois, with 917 people reporting outages. Meanwhile, Missouri's number of customers without power has gone up to 6,939. 

The Missouri outages are primarily in:

  • St. Francois County - 2,560 customers without power.
  • Jefferson County - 1,668 customers without power.
  • Washington County - 1,244 customers without power.
  • Iron County - 939 customers without power.

8 a.m. - Meteorologist Anthony Slaughter shares updated snow totals and estimates that snow will wrap up across the St. Louis area within the next hour.

7:20 a.m. - MoDOT reports a crash has been cleared and lanes are reopened on southbound I-270 at Olive Boulevard.

Metro Transit reports minor delays continue for some MetroBus routes, and the #1 Main Street to State Street route is currently operating on a snow route.

MetroBus riders are encouraged to use the Transit app to check the real-time location of their bus before heading to their stop.

7:15 a.m. - 5 On Your Side viewers are seeing snow piling up in their area.

Submit your own photos using the "Near Me" section of the 5 On Your Side mobile app, available to download for free on Google Play and the App Store.

6:50 a.m. - Ameren reports more customers (826) are without power in Illinois. Meanwhile, Missouri's customers without power have lessened slightly (5,985).

The outages are primarily focused in:   

  • St. Francois County, Missouri - 2,926 customers without power.
  • Iron County, Missouri - 1,585 customers without power.
  • Washington County, Missouri - 633 customers without power.
  • Johnson County, Illinois -  301 customers without power.
  • Jefferson County, Missouri - 297 customers without power.
  • Cape Girardeau - 276 customers without power.
  • St. Louis County, Missouri - 219 customers without power.
  • Jackson County, Illinois - 210 customers without power.

5 On Your Side's Garry Frank reports a few issues on the roadways on the Missouri side. There are a couple of crashes on southbound Interstate 270 at Olive Boulevard, causing two left lanes to close. On eastbound Interstate 70 at Salisbury Street, the right lane is closed due to a crash.

Roads are also slick in Illinois. The St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency reports a MetroBus slid off the roadway on South Long Street in Caseyville, Illinois. Metro Transit said there were no passengers on board at the time of the crash, and the driver was unharmed.

Credit: KSDK
MetroBus slid off the roadway on South Long Street in Caseyville, Illinois

6:33 a.m. - Meteorologist Anthony Slaughter estimates another 1-2 inches are possible over the next few hours.

6:30 a.m. - Missouri Highway Patrol Cpl. Dallas Thompson said on Today in St. Louis that drivers should exercise extreme caution while navigating secondary roadways Wednesday morning.

Most of the major interstates across the area are wet yet travelable with slushy snow, Thompson said, but drivers should be cautious because hard braking can cause vehicles to slip.

6:10 a.m. - Snow totals are coming in for the St. Louis area, with some parts of the viewing area seeing significantly more snowfall than others. 

In Desloge, about 6.5 inches of snow has fallen. Fredericktown comes in at 6 inches. Crestwood is at 1.7 inches, and St. Charles has seen only a half-inch.

Credit: KSDK
Snow totals as of 6 a.m. Jan. 25, 2023

Metro Transit reports some MetroBus routes are experiencing minor delays due to road conditions, but there are no significant weather-related delays. MetroLink continues to operate on schedule.

5:42 a.m. - Ameren reports 5,992 Missouri customers and 538 Illinois customers without service. The outages are primarily focused in:

  • St. Francois County, Missouri - 2,474 customers without power.
  • Iron County, Missouri - 1,615 customers without power.
  • Jefferson County, Missouri - 1,256 customers without power.
  • Johnson County, Illinois - 301 customers without power.
  • St. Louis County, Missouri - 177 customers without power.

5:30 a.m. - The Missouri Department of Transportation provides a live update as crews work to clear roadways across the St. Louis area. 

The state department advised drivers to stay off the roadways if possible as plows continue to work. If you must get out, the department advised drivers to drive cautiously and give plows plenty of room.

5 a.m. - Traffic is slowing down across the St. Louis area, as roadways are partially or fully covered and visibility is limited.

Metro Transit reports MetroLink and MetroBus are operating without any weather-related delays as of 5 a.m., though it recommended customers allow extra time for their commutes as snow continues to impact road conditions.

4:20 a.m. - Missouri Department of Transportation traveler maps show most roads covered or partially covered across the St. Louis region. Heavy snow is also limiting visibility.

4 a.m. - National Weather Service of St. Louis reports snow has accumulated across much of the St. Louis area, but rain lasted longer than expected along Interstate 70, limiting snow amounts more than expected.

2:15 a.m. - Weather First Meteorologist Anthony Slaughter reports rain has changed over to snow in St. Louis. Slush has been accumulating on elevated services, and conditions will continue to deteriorate. St. Louis remains on track for about 4 inches of snow.

Download the free 5 On Your Side app to get the latest watches and warnings and track conditions live with our interactive radar. Use the links below to download now. 

5 On Your Side news app
iPhone | Google Play

Weather First interactive radar

Live traffic updates

Live road conditions

School closings and delays

The Weather First Team is expecting heavy, wet snow on Wednesday morning and because of that, a Storm Alert has been issued. Winter Storm Warnings have been issued for areas along and south of I-44 in Missouri and along and east of I-55 in Illinois for Tuesday evening into Wednesday. This does include the metro St. Louis area.

A heavy, wet snow is expected to fall through the morning on Wednesday. Temperatures will be around freezing while the heaviest snow falls and this will likely create slushy snow on area roadways. 

Accumulation is likely with the heaviest amounts likely from the Ozarks into southeast Missouri and parts of southwest Illinois, where four to eight inches of snow is likely. A few areas may see more than eight inches of snow, but since it is a wet snow, it will compact. 

Farther north and west, snowfall amounts will likely range from one to four inches. Most of the immediate St. Louis metro will likely see a solid three to five inches of snow.

Click here to view the full Weather First forecast.

Gov. Mike Parson activated the Missouri National Guard in response to Wednesday's severe winter weather.

Before You Leave, Check This Out