ST. LOUIS – It’s been a snowy winter for the St. Louis region. January brought nearly a foot of snow to St. Louis, while another snowstorm Tuesday brought nearly three inches to St. Louis and up to 10 inches for some southern Missouri communities.

How soon could Tuesday’s snow melt? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but there’s optimism it could be faster than January’s big snowstorm.

“The January storm took about two weeks [16 days to melt], but saw another new snow,” said FOX 2 Meteorologist John Fuller. “However, the sun angle [now] is more direct and the days are longer, plus we do not expect more snow through the middle of next week.”

For substantial melting, the easiest path would be an extended run of temperatures reaching above freezing, or 32°F. That could come relatively soon with temperatures expected to climb above freezing by Saturday and potentially reach the 50s on Monday and Tuesday.

Until then, temperatures will hover in the single digits, teens and 20s for the next few days, which could make it tough for melting immediately. However, dry conditions may help slightly in setting the stage for more melting.

Additionally, while the recent snowfall is measurable, it’s not among the densest in recent history. Around one-third of the snow from this storm is made up of water content, according to Fuller, a sign that it could melt swiftly once temperatures rise.

In the days ahead, several other factors could come into play…

  • Sun angle: The days are longer in February than January, which generally means more sunlight and steeper angles, which can help melt snow in stubborn spots.
  • Ground heating: Even in subfreezing temperatures, prolonged periods of sunlight can warm surfaces like asphalt, heating the ground to above freezing and aiding snow melt.
  • Sublimation: Sunny, windy, and dry conditions can help snow transition directly from a solid to a gas, bypassing the melting phase entirely. Wind can help by removing a layer of saturated air (already holding water vapor) that can help snow vanish.
  • Cloud cover: A lack of direct cloud cover seems likely, which would expose the snow to more direct sunlight, accelerating melting.

All in all, Saturday through Tuesday offers the best chance for extended snowmelt in the St. Louis area, though areas that saw higher totals may take a bit longer to clear.