Severe thunderstorm watch issued for St. Louis area

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for the St. Louis metro area Thursday afternoon and evening, with forecasters warning that storms could bring damaging wind gusts, large hail and the possibility of one or two tornadoes.

The watch was issued by the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and runs from 2:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. CDT. Local coverage said isolated wind gusts could reach 75 mph as thunderstorms strengthen along and ahead of a cold front.

Expected timing

Storms are expected to increase in coverage and intensity through the evening, with the main window for the St. Louis area roughly between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. CDT. That timing overlaps with the evening commute and the transition into overnight hours, when conditions can change quickly.

Main risks

The primary threats are damaging straight-line winds and large hail. Forecasters also say a tornado or two cannot be ruled out.

Those hazards raise the risk of power outages, downed trees and localized property damage across the metro if storms intensify as they approach the city.

Regional setup

The St. Louis watch is part of a larger severe-weather pattern across the Midwest, where storms were also producing watches or warnings in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.

One Illinois forecast package described St. Louis as being in a lower-risk area than points farther north, but still expected storms in the evening window.

What to watch next

Residents should keep monitoring alerts as the watch period runs down. The next developments to watch are whether the watch is extended, cancelled or upgraded to warnings, and whether the storm line holds together as it moves east toward Illinois.

Local officials and weather offices may also report hail, wind damage or outages if storms become severe.