Tornado Watch Expires for St. Louis Metro Area After Evening Threat
Severe weather threat passes as tornado watch covering St. Louis region and 31 counties expires Thursday night.
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI — A tornado watch that covered the St. Louis metropolitan area and surrounding counties in Missouri and Illinois expired Thursday night at 11 p.m. CDT after threatening severe weather conditions across the region.
The National Weather Service St. Louis office issued Tornado Watch 131 on April 17 at 9:02 p.m. CDT, placing 17 Missouri counties and 14 Illinois counties under heightened alert for potential tornado activity.
Missouri Counties Under Watch
The tornado watch included 17 Missouri counties spanning central, east central, and northeast regions of the state. Central Missouri counties under the watch were Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Cole, Moniteau, and Osage.
East central Missouri counties covered by the alert included Franklin, Gasconade, Jefferson, Lincoln, Montgomery, Saint Charles, Saint Louis, Saint Louis City, and Warren. Northeast Missouri’s Pike and Ralls counties also fell under the watch area.
Illinois Counties Affected
Fourteen Illinois counties were included in the tornado watch across multiple regions of the state. South central Illinois counties under alert were Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Marion, Montgomery, and Washington.
Southwest Illinois counties in the watch area included Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, and Saint Clair. Pike County in west central Illinois also remained under the tornado watch through Thursday evening.
Major Cities in Watch Zone
The National Weather Service identified numerous major population centers within the tornado watch area. Cities under alert included Alton, Belleville, Bowling Green, Cahokia, Centralia, Columbia, Edwardsville, Fulton, Jefferson City, Litchfield, and Mexico.
Weather officials issued the watch as atmospheric conditions became favorable for severe thunderstorm development and potential tornado formation across the bi-state region. The two-hour watch period allowed residents and emergency management officials to monitor weather conditions and prepare for possible severe weather impacts.
Tornado watches differ from tornado warnings in that they indicate conditions are favorable for severe weather development, while warnings are issued when tornadoes have been spotted or detected on radar. The National Weather Service uses the watch system to alert the public when they should remain vigilant for rapidly changing weather conditions.
