Warning – Sudden Ice Event Possible in Missouri & Illinois Monday

It likely won't last long, but there's a good chance that much of the Monday morning commute will be a bit perilous for parts of Missouri and Illinois thanks to a sudden ice event that forecasters expect to happen.

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My wife, the meteorologist, could explain this in much more detail and better than me. I, the layman, will give you the short version (which she has approved). Rain will be moving through the Missouri and Illinois region beginning Sunday night into Monday morning. It will be warm enough in the upper atmosphere to descend as rain. However, for a few hours Monday morning, the surface temperatures will be cold enough to freeze. That will result in several hours of ice for much of Missouri and Illinois. 

The National Weather Service in St. Louis agrees and this is the map they shared showing the expected areas and amounts of ice.

Here's another graphic showing ice accumulation early Monday morning between 6am and 10am.

Later in the morning Monday, even more of Illinois will have ice.

What's the bottom line?

Expect icy roads for your drive-in Monday morning between 6am and 10am. Temperatures will eventually rise and the moisture (and roads) will just consist of rain. By lunchtime Monday, roads SHOULD be fine. It's the early Monday morning commute that you need to watch out for.

It's possible that slightly warmer temperatures could make this a non-event Monday morning, but that's not what forecasters expect right now. Assume Monday morning roads will be slick and you should be fine.