St. Louis is in for a dangerous weather day Monday — showers and thunderstorms are expected to hammer the metro most of the day with a high near 81°F, and the biggest concern isn’t the lightning. It’s flooding. Stay home if you can, and keep your eyes on alerts all day.
Today’s Setup
The National Weather Service in St. Louis has been tracking a large thunderstorm complex that pushed into the area early Monday morning from the northwest. The problem: that storm line is expected to slow down and stall across Missouri, with new storms backbuilding along the same axis all day. South winds at 12 to 16 mph with gusts up to 26 mph are funneling in moisture-saturated air. Storms are most likely between 8 AM and 4 PM CT, but another round is possible this evening and again overnight.
Flash Flood and Severe Weather Risk
The Weather Prediction Center has placed the St. Louis area under a Moderate Risk of Excessive Rainfall through Tuesday morning — that’s a serious upgrade. Forecasters expect 5 to 7 inches of rain in the heaviest-hit areas during a short window, with some model runs going even higher. If you live near the Meramec River, the River Des Peres corridor, or any low-lying stretch of South City, do not wait to see water before you move. Flash flooding can develop fast.
In addition to flooding, the National Weather Service warns that a few strong to severe storms are possible this afternoon, with the main threats being large hail and damaging wind gusts. Keep an emergency first aid kit accessible and a weather radio or app running in the background.
Best Window To Be Outside
There isn’t a great one today. Before 8 AM CT offers the lowest storm risk, but even that window carries some shower activity. This is a stay-inside day. If your boots get soaked coming home, a boot dryer electric will have them ready by morning.
Cardinals Series and Tuesday Weather
The St. Louis Cardinals open a three-game home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium starting Tuesday, May 19. Bad news for the series opener: Tuesday brings near-certain storms with a 98–100% chance of precipitation and a high near 86°F before temperatures fall to around 81°F in the afternoon. Monitor delay announcements before heading downtown. Wednesday and Thursday look much more playable as the cold front clears out. Check our full Cardinals-Pirates gameday weather preview for the complete outlook. Gear up with a St. Louis Cardinals jersey or St. Louis Cardinals fitted cap, and Find tickets on StubHub or Get tickets on SeatGeek if you need seats.
Also Tuesday night, MJ (Touring) opens at the Fabulous Fox Theatre — indoors, so the storms are a non-issue there.
Rainy Day Comfort Food
This is a put-something-in-the-pot kind of day. Load up a programmable slow cooker with chili or beef stew before work and let it do the heavy lifting. An enameled cast iron Dutch oven is equally perfect for a thick soup on the stovetop tonight. Need ingredients? You can order groceries on Amazon and have everything for tonight’s dinner delivered to your door.
Next Few Days
Tuesday stays stormy with another cold front sweeping through by evening — lows drop sharply to around 58°F overnight with northwest winds taking over. That cold front is the reset button. Wednesday onward looks progressively drier and more comfortable. Keep tabs on St. Louis weather forecasts as the pattern clears out heading into the weekend.
