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Governor Jay Nixon has announced funding for eight projects in southern Missouri to build warning sirens and tornado safe rooms. Nixon authorized the State Emergency Management Agency to use just over $5 million for the projects. That money comes from hazard mitigation grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The FEMA program provides 75% of

A nearly 40 hour long filibuster at the state capitol over a religious objections proposal is now over. This morning SJR 39 passed out of Missouri’s Senate in a 23-9 vote. The Missouri Senate filibustered the proposed amendment for 39.5 hours, making it one of the longest filibusters in the Missouri state legislature. Senators that

Police at Mizzou are looking into the thefts of seven catalytic converters from vehicles parked in university lots. “It appears in the past that we’ll have a rash of these that come through and then they’re gone again,” said Major Brian Weimer with the university police department. The thefts apparently happened between the evening of

We have some new and upgraded tools to track severe weather in Mid-Missouri this year. Among those tools: High-resolution street-level mapping shows exactly where the storms will hit Stormtrack Doppler radar can detect the size of hail in a storm Hail tracker shows which areas are in the path of any hail Velocity scope looks

Of all the possible forms of severe weather during warmer months, large hail and lightning are among the most common. Hail formation usually comes with isolated-cell or multicell thunderstorms. Freezing temperatures are required for hail to form, and formation depends on how far aloft the freezing line is located. The freezing line is closest to

Flooding was a major problem for Mid-Missouri twice in 2015: July and December. Heavy rain in July forced Ameren UE to open the floodgates at Bagnell Dam for more than a week. Before then, the gates hadn’t been opened since 2013. High water at the Lake of the Ozarks also prompted Governor Jay Nixon to

Severe weather can develop very quickly in Mid-Missouri, and it’s not uncommon to get caught outside when a storm hits. Being outside is the worst place to be during severe weather, but there are things to keep in mind to stay safer if it happens to you. Whatever the nearest building is, get inside if

The spring of 2015 started with snow and freezing temperatures in March; those gave way to warmer temperatures and the arrival of the stormy season. April 7 brought golf ball-sized hail to the area just north of Columbia, and heavy rain caused some area creeks to swell. The next day, a round of storms brought

A new severe weather warning system was put in place in Boone County last year, and officials say it’s working as it should. In the past, warning sirens in Boone County would activate, regardless of where in the county the threat was located. That led to complaints by county residents, some of whom asked for

As part of “Tornado Alley,” Missouri is one of the most vulnerable states to tornado activity. A look at tornadoes that have hit Mid-Missouri over the years shows some areas appear to be more prone than others. Monroe County has seen 16 tornadoes since 1985, topping the list for central Missouri. Over that same time

Sunday marks the ten-year anniversary or the deadly tornado in the Randolph County town of Renick. Four people died because of the tornado that all but wiped out the community. At the time, the town had no warning sirens to alert people about the incoming storm. Since then, Renick has new measures in place to

As we prepare for a new season of severe weather, we talk to Ashland city officials about their storm shelter registry program. The idea for the registry was largely prompted by the deadly Joplin tornado in 2011. It allows authorities to know where exactly they need to check for people in shelters after a storm

People who live in apartments may have to consider different safety concerns than those in homes. We spoke to some tenants in Boone County, who told us they don’t know what the response plan is for their apartment complex, should severe weather arise. Owners of some of those complexes told us there are severe weather

A Higbee family has lost their home after a fire Tuesday morning. The fire happened near County Road 2850. A source close to the family who lived there says the home is a total loss, and that one child ended up in a Columbia hospital. The father of the family also reportedly had a heart

Investigators with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department are looking into a series of daytime burglaries since early January. The burglaries have primarily happened on weekdays in rural and semi-rural areas. The thief or thieves are primarily stealing jewelry. Deputies believe the same person or persons are behind the burglaries. The burglar or burglars typically get

Periods of showers and t-storms will move through Mid-Missouri through Saturday, bringing heavy rain. Areas south of HWY 54 will see the highest amounts of rain with 3-6″ possible. Flash flooding is possible during periods of heaviest rainfall. The first wave of showers and t-storms will move through Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night. Most areas

In March MoDot is challenging their road crews to fix every pothole as quickly as it is reported. That is why the agency is asking drivers to call about problem areas as soon as possible. It expects to spend about $15 million on the issue this month, which is typical in their yearly budget. That

Boone County commissioners have passed a development proposal for a new office building that would replace Bleu restaurant’s patio in Columbia. Presiding commissioner Dan Atwill confirmed they approved it and signed the contract Tuesday morning. Dave Baugher and his business partner Matt Beckett proposed a 10-story building last year, but Atwill said in the end

Firefighters in Sunrise beach kept a house fire from spreading to nearby properties early Monday. The fire happened at a home on Woodshed Road shortly after 5 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find one home on fire, but say the flames were in danger of spreading to the adjoining properties. Crews were able to contain the