Missouri & Illinois Biggest Risk of More than 8 Inch Snow Storms?

As the computer models get closer to the winter months, we're getting a steady stream of new outlooks on what the upcoming season will be like. A new one has put both Missouri and Illinois right in the middle of the zone that has the biggest risk of seeing more than 8 inch snow storms early in 2025.

I saw this breakdown of new data from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center by
Weather On The Go on YouTube just shared today. I would encourage you to watch his entire forecast for a better meteorological explanation than I can give you, but here's the key graphic you should know about. It's a projection of the parts of America most likely to see a major snow event in late 2024/early 2025. Notice that Missouri and Illinois are in the heart of the danger zone.

I'll paraphrase, but the short version of what he says is expected is a La Niña condition expected to begin in full effect by November. The good news is he doesn't see early season snow as the problem. It's mainly February of 2025 that you need to be watching out for.

The other good news is this is very preliminary stuff. A lot can and will change before winter really begins in Missouri and Illinois. I share this to help everyone mentally prepare for what might be to come.