Insider Blog

Midwest summers are famous for explosive severe weather. Following Wednesday’s tornadoes and a string of severe alerts across Central Missouri yesterday, terms like MCS, QLCS, and MCV have been frequently used in the forecast. When severe weather threatens Mid-Missouri, these technical acronyms are often tossed around. While they all describe clusters of thunderstorms capable of

If you stepped outside across Central Missouri today, you immediately felt it: summer has arrived in full force. With temperatures climbing deep into the 90s and heat index values near the 100-degree mark, the atmosphere feels heavy, humid, and oppressive. But while the weather on the ground seems quiet for now, a subtle, invisible shift

If you stepped outside this afternoon, you probably noticed it almost instantly. The air felt heavy, thick, and distinctly like mid-summer. Naturally, you might have pulled out your phone, checked your favorite weather app, and noticed the relative humidity reading sat at 60-70%. So why does it feel like the air is so much more

As we approach the summer season in Missouri, you might notice a familiar trend from year to year: storms, especially particular types of severe storms, become less and less frequent as summer heat takes over. This is because, although one of the main drivers of severe weather is consistently higher during this season, the other

With the record-breaking rain totals over this spring season, the last thing Central Missouri has to worry about is a drought. With March in Columbia measuring up to 4.23″ of rain, April bringing a total of 8.14″, and May bringing a total of 8.35″, the 2026 spring season will move to the third wettest spring

If you’ve spent any time outdoors in Central Missouri recently, whether that be gardening or taking a walk, you’ve likely noticed a relentless, unwanted guest. Tick season isn’t just in full swing; it is breaking records. Recent surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that weekly emergency room visits for

UPDATE: As of 1:00 p.m., approximately an inch of rain has fallen in Columbia after heavy showers have continued in the city. Sanborn Field on the University of Missouri Campus is reporting 1.02″. The Columbia Regional Airport is reporting 1.28″ Showers from Thursday night through this morning have brought steady light to moderate, if not

It is a classic mid-Missouri summer scenario: you are spending a hot afternoon boating on the Lake of the Ozarks or lounging by the community pool when the sky turns dark and a distant rumble echoes across the water. Your first instinct might be to squeeze in just a few more minutes of swimming before

Much-needed rainfall is finally washing over the South and East this week, but the heavy downpour is also causing flash flooding in areas that have been hit hard by drought in recent months. Most of Missouri is drought-free, but 30% of the state is drier than normal, especially across the Missouri Bootheel, which is currently

Mid-Missouri is caught between two weather stories this week, with hot, dry conditions expected across the Upper Midwest and cooler, wetter weather over the Southeast. This is part of a larger flip in weather conditions across the U.S. as summer approaches, thanks to a stubborn, recognizable pattern setting up over the country that looks like

Memorial Day weekend is officially here, marking the unofficial start of summer and sending thousands of Missourians packing for the Lake of the Ozarks. While the holiday weekend forecast is delivering great weather with afternoon air temperatures climbing to near 80 degrees each afternoon, anyone planning to kick off boat season with a plunge off

When we look at a standard radar loop or check a typically daily forecast app, we are only seeing a two-dimensional snapshot of the weather, what is happening right at the surface where our feet are. But the atmosphere is miles deep, and the real engine behind our weather patterns operates far above our heads.