If you have ever made a snowflake chain, or watched a holiday movie, you might recall a complex snowflake that many would describe as beautiful. This is one of many different shapes that snowflakes can come in. Sometimes they can be very basic to the naked eye, but other times that can seem even more
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While looking at holiday lights over the next few nights you might catch a glimpse of a bright spot in the sky above. The ‘Christmas star’ will be bright enough to see with just your eyes as Jupiter moves closer in orbit in the coming weeks. Many are likely familiar with the Biblical story of
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The Northeast has seen a substantial amount of snow the past week leading to travel issues across states bordering Lake Eerie. This impressive snowfall is a result of lake effect snow which can cause multiple feet of snow in just a few short days. Some areas across New York state have seen over two feet
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Christmas trees in Mid-Missouri have been changing with the climate, and Wayne Harmon with Starr Pines has had to change with it. His Christmas tree farm near Boonville has been in business for over three decades and grows several species of trees. “The pines, they can weather the type of weather we have here in
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Temperatures look to fall dramatically Wednesday night thanks to a passing cold front bringing cool and dry air from Canada back across the Midwest. This leads to an increased risk of cold weather injuries and dangerous around forming ice on local waterways. Wind chills cool to the lower single digits thanks to winds gusting out
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Tuesday the 3rd kicks off the Lincoln University Holiday Extravaganza in Jefferson City. The event begins at 6 pm and lasts until 8pm. Various activities are expected including a tree lightning ceremony, Santa’s workshop, a performance by the Lincoln University Choir, and a visit from Santa Clause. It is looking to be a cooler night
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With cold air still present, many of us still have snow on the ground despite some melting in the sun and with temperatures marginally above freezing on Sunday. Saturday night’s snow is still hanging on strong in some places, especially in the shade. Satellite shows we have clouds in place, but snow cover across the
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An ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day has been issued for the first snowfall of the season on Saturday which could impact holiday travel. SATURDAY MORNING UPDATE A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for counties near and along I-70 until 6 p.m. Saturday for blowing snow and slick roadways. Snow totals remain healthy in
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The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team is tracking the first potential snowfall of the season as a quick moving system arrives in Mid-Missouri early on Saturday. This type of winter system, called an Alberta Clipper, is typically characterized by a fast storm motion, drier air, and less moisture. Snowfall amounts are usually low and the
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It’s no surprise that temperatures have cooled abruptly since Sunday afternoon. A passing cold front has switched winds out of the northwest bringing in cooler Canadian air across Mid-Missouri. These cooler temperatures are expected to continue to dip even further below freezing into the second half of the week, leading meteorologist to turn their attention
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The first blast of cold air has visited Mid-Missouri, setting the stage for the winter ahead. We’re coming off a warm winter 2023-24 with less snow than normal. Columbia recorded about 8.5 inches of snow and we tied for the least snowy February on record. Despite the warm and less snowy winter, spring and summer
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If you have lived in Missouri for at least a year, you might have heard the saying, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait.” Missouri has seen some extreme weather throughout the past 50 years. From extreme temperatures down to minus-26 degrees to 49 inches of snowfall in 1960, there is no shortage of
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Dreaming of a white Christmas? That may just be a dream in the future as winter continues to warm faster than any other season, making it harder to reach temperatures cold enough for snow. Alternatively, the wettest days are getting even wetter with climate change, which could increase snowfall on the few snow days left.
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We are more than familiar with humidity here in mid-Missouri. The word conjures up memories of hot summer days and uncomfortable feelings, but probably not cold days, and there’s a reason why. However, some say cold days feel colder with humidity than they do without. Is that true? There is some science behind it. The term
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Cold air is coming and fall decorations are being replaced by Christmas lights, trees are starting to look bare, and birds are becoming fewer as the days get shorter. Nature always gives us signs of the changing seasons, but can plants and animals really predict the weather? “You said maybe the crickets starting to chirp
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Meteorology is a relatively new field, which means new weather terms pop up and spread like “megafires ” (that’s a new term coming out to describe intense and fast-growing wildfires fueled by climate change). In winter, you’ve probably also heard the term “polar vortex” more commonly in recent years to refer to cold air outbreaks. While
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When we talk about wrap around precipitation on the backside of low pressure system, those can be a little bit different from typical frontal events. What you can typically expect with these systems is going to be focused on the western side of a cold front. Cooler air with this rain, will bring those lighter,
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When meteorologists are typically looking at waves, it’s not always on a sandy beach looking into the ocean. It could be looking at atmospheric graphs. When there increased waves on an atmospheric graphs, changing weather can be expected more frequently. The white lines show on the ABC 17 Stormtrack Futuretrack are known as isobars which
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Many people have heard their local meteorologist discuss high and low pressure systems on graphics such as the ABC 17 Stormtrack Doppler Radar or the Futuretrack, but what do they actual do and what are their real world impacts? On the ABC 17 Stormtrack Doppler Radar shown above, a high pressure system sits alone towards
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Winter weather preparedness week is drawing to a close, and before the winter season begins, you should know how to stay informed and alert for upcoming storms. It’s important to be prepared and have a plan before snow storms arrive. It takes lots of supplies to be fully geared up for the colder seasons and
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