Several inches of snow forecast Saturday in St. Louis. Travel may be hazardous.

The St. Louis region is under a Winter Weather Advisory on Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. with 2 to 4 inches of snow expected in the metro area.

Roads, especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous, the National Weather Service says, adding that motorists should plan on slippery road conditions.

Snow will likely reach the St. Louis area by late morning Saturday. The heaviest snowfall is likely north of interstates 70 and 64, the weather service says.

Snow is expected to fall for 6 to 8 hours at a rate of 1/4- to 1/2-inch per hour at times, according to the weather service.

Peak snowfall rates may overcome melting on roadways in some areas. The weather service said this, along with increased travel because of sporting events and the holiday weekend, prompted the advisory.

The advisory stretches more than 250 miles from west-central Missouri into southern Illinois and covers most of the St. Louis metro area. Jefferson and Franklin counties in Missouri as well as Monroe County in Illinois are not included in the advisory.

In areas along and south of Interstate 44, daytime warming will cause morning snow to change to rain in the afternoon.

For Mizzou fans hoping for a much-sought-after snow game, flakes are forecast to fall mostly before noon in Columbia.

By the time kickoff against Arkansas rolls around at 2:30 p.m., precipitation chances are slight, though temperatures will be near freezing with wind chills in the mid-20s.

The weather service says snow is more likely to stick in central Missouri because it’s likely to hit in the morning, when temperatures are colder.

The snowfall comes just four days after St. Louis’ belated first freeze amid a largely warmer-than-average fall.

Last year, the first measurable snow didn’t come until Dec. 27, and the first day with an inch or more of snow came Jan. 5.

An inch of snow in St. Louis on Saturday would mark the earliest that’s happened since 2019.