EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Heavy and wet snow is coming to the St. Louis area, and it’s expected to make road conditions hazardous.

A winter storm is expected to hit Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. In Illinois, IDOT is making sure trucks are ready and potholes are filled.

“We’re really trying to make sure that we’re in good shape coming out of the storm,” said Joseph Monroe, operations engineer for IDOT.

Monroe said drivers will experience light and heavy snow throughout their travels.

“The current models from the National Weather Service have two pretty distinct periods or pulses of this storm,” he said. “One just after midnight, and unfortunately, one right about morning commute Wednesday morning.”

“We’re not doing anything too crazy, I mean we’re always prepared,” said Craig Porter. “We’re from around here, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary for us.”

“My fiancé, she has trouble driving at night time, so we just try not to do that at all,” said Sam Mize. “And I think both of our jobs are pretty accommodating to where, if the weather’s going to be really bad, then they tend to just kind of call off and let everybody stay home for the day.”

“Crews will be out Tuesday night as the temperatures drop and conditions change from rain to snow,” said Becky Allmeroth, MoDOT’s chief safety and operations officer. “We are expecting a very heavy, wet snow, which is great for making snowmen but can make roads very difficult to drive on. If you must be out, adjust your speed to the road conditions.”

“I’ve been stuck on the highway out here on 55 and 70 for like three hours before,” Mize said. “So try to at least keep some water, make sure you’ve got enough fuel in your vehicle.”

MoDOT said to make sure to also keep blankets, gloves, and snacks in your car and keep your phone fully charged.

MoDOT and IDOT urged drivers to be aware of changing road and visibility conditions and to give snowplows and salt trucks plenty of room to work.