The Heartland Newsfeed/Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network coverage area has been plagued with extreme heat this week.

A heat advisory remains in effect until 9 p.m. Central tonight, but could relief be coming in before that? The National Weather Service is thinking that it is possible.

At 11:25 a.m., the National Weather Service office in St. Louis issued a severe thunderstorm watch. This watch is in effect until 7 p.m. tonight.

Locations within this watch include portions of west-central and southwestern Illinois. It also includes parts of northern and eastern Missouri.

Threats in this alert include scattered damaging wind gusts up to 70 MPH. Isolated events may include downpours of large hail up to one inch in diameter.

NWS St. Louis spotted a long cluster of thunderstorms, with prior history of damaging winds. They predict that it will likely persist throughout the afternoon moving across northern and eastern Missouri toward the St. Louis greater metro area.

The watch area as a whole runs roughly 60 statute miles from either side. This area ranges from 25 miles southwest of Chillicothe, Mo. to 10 miles south of Scott Air Force Base near Belleville.

A severe thunderstorm watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce tornadoes.

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