Temperatures are nearing record highs again for the end of March as a large part of the country lies under a heat dome, and scientists say this extreme heat would be impossible without human-caused climate change. The heat dome will go down not only as the worst heat wave to hit the United States in
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Missouri has started the spring season with rainfall totals just under 2″ above normal for the first three weeks of March. This wet weather has erased the rain deficit recorded during a drier than normal winter. The Climate Prediction Center expects the warming trend to continue, forecasting a warmer than normal spring for the region.
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Missouri recorded the third most tornado warnings in the United States in 2025. Researchers at the Missouri S&T Wind Hazard Mitigation Lab are now analyzing damage from the state’s most prolific storms to better understand the impact of tornadic winds on buildings. The 2025 tornado season began on March 14, a night when wildfires and
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It already smells like spring in the greenhouse at CMSE’s giving gardens. Their greenhouse is one way the organization provides meaningful employment to individuals with disabilities, but it’s also where those employees have already prepared perennials to go in the ground across Mid-Missouri later this spring. “A perennial is basically a plant that has a
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Friday is the spring equinox, when we experience equal amounts of daylight and night, and when many consider to be the beginning of spring. (Although for meteorologists, spring starts on March 1st for better record-keeping.) Both meteorological spring (March 1st) and astronomical spring (March 20th) have come in hot, with temperatures over 4 degrees warmer
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Tornado-prone regions in the United States are shifting eastward from the traditional “Tornado Alley” toward the Mississippi and Tennessee River valleys. This expansion is bringing more frequent severe weather and tornado outbreaks to areas historically less accustomed to such intensity. In recent decades, the frequency of favorable tornado days has increased significantly in states including
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If you stepped outside today to enjoy the noticeably warmer weather, you likely noticed two things: temperatures in the mid to upper 70s and a sudden, aggressive case of itchy eyes or a stuffy nose. While the sky over Mid-Missouri remains clear, we are currently in the middle of a large atmospheric event that you
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Hail is consistently one of the costliest severe weather events, causing billions of dollars in damage annually to cars, homes, and crops in the United States. One of the places it commonly occurs is right here in Central Missouri. Over the past 15 years, there have been over 5000 reports of hail from unique storms
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Lightning all starts because of rising warm air. This rising air produces the storm clouds that are needed for lightning in the first place. As the storm clouds form, the ice particles and water droplets collide inside the cloud. As this collision occurs, it causes positive and negative charges, and after enough charges are produced,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. March 2026 has already seen record highs and frigid temperatures, making for an active start to the spring season. Viewers will get a closer look at what else they can expect in the months ahead and how to prepare with the annual ABC 17 Stormtrack Severe Weather Special, airing Tuesday, March 24, at
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We are all wearing green today for St. Patrick’s Day, but if you look at the horizon and see the sky wearing green, it’s not a celebration; it’s a warning. When we see that eerie emerald glow during a Missouri storm, many call it ‘tornado weather’. But the science behind the shade actually points to
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UPDATE: Cold air has filled the region, dropping wind chills into the near-to-below zero range. Winds slowly relax through the day, allowing for less extreme wind chills by the afternoon. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day ahead of the potential for a few strong storms, accumulating snow, strong non-thunderstorm
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Winter-like weather is making a return for Central Missouri, and with that comes a complicated forecast. This is because of the stretch of warm spring weather that has been in place and will be in place leading up to Sunday. Today, temperatures got into the upper 50s, and tomorrow, upper 60s are expected. This means
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The ABC17 Stormtrack Weather Team is tracking a dynamic area of low pressure that is forecast to bring a chance for storms, snow, and deep cold into the region via gusty winds. SETUP & TIMING: A warm front will lift through the region on Saturday, lifting temperatures into the 60s across most of mid-Missouri if
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The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the following counties in Central Missouri: Moniteau, Cole, Boone, Cooper, Callaway, Pettis, Montgomery, Audrain, Howard, Saline, Chariton, Randolph, Monroe, and Macon County. For areas north and west of Columbia, this wind advisory is already in effect. For areas in Columbia, south of Columbia, and east,
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Severe storms produced giant hail as they moved through Kansas City last night, dropping quarter to baseball-sized hailstones for several hours. The first storms in the early evening generated the largest hail, measuring between 2 to 4 inches in diameter, as these cells had very high levels of atmospheric instability for fuel. High energy in
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The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for the likelihood of strong storms tonight. The threat for damaging winds and widespread heavy rain continues overnight as storms push ahead of a cold front. A Tornado Watch is in effect for Morgan, Camden, and Benton counties until 4:00 a.m. It’s been
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Temperatures between 15 and 30 degrees above normal are forecast across the Central and Southern United States tomorrow, bringing an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms to the Midwest. Columbia already broke its record high on Monday, reaching 82 degrees at 4 p.m. local time, which topped the previous record of 80 degrees set on March
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An ABC17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day is in effect for expected severe thunderstorms on Friday evening through the overnight. All types of severe weather are possible. A Tornado Watch is in effect until 1:00 a.m. for Camden, Miller, Morgan, Benton, Pettis, Cooper, and Saline counties. Howard, Randolph, Chariton, and Macon counties are in a watch
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Central Missouri has another chance of observing severe weather on Friday evening and overnight hours. Today’s severe weather preparedness week topic, hail and wind safety, goes perfectly with the type of potential hazards expected tomorrow. The type of system that will eventually enter our area is known as a QLCS, or a quasi-linear convective system.
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