Straight line winds can sometimes be the gusts you feel blowing just ahead of an approaching storm, and other times they can be life threatening events reaching wind speeds of up to 140 MPH. Straight line winds are winds in a thunderstorm with no rotation. Straight line winds occur due to rain cooled air pushing
Continue Reading
Sunshine and temperatures continue to increase across much of in Missouri, just like what we saw this afternoon. One of many key ingredients in storm formation actually pivots off these two factors known as Cape. This week sees rising temperatures and plenty of sunshine leading up to Friday. This gives way for increased storm chances,
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) By now you have probably heard about the gloomy future of insurance, or are dealing with it firsthand. Prices are rising as risk increases in a changing climate and insurance companies may have to change how their industry operates. Disasters are accelerating in number and intensity, rapidly outpacing the system’s capacity. Of
Continue Reading
If you have not washed your car and had it parked outdoors last week, you might notice a splotchy dust film along the winds of your car. This was caused by a phenomenon often called “dirty rain”. Dirty rain is exactly what it sounds like. Rain is sometimes referred to as a filter for the
Continue Reading
Flooding is responsible for the second-most weather-related fatalities in the United States and is the most expensive and frequent disaster. Trends indicate it will get worse with climate change. There is no question that heat is far and away the deadliest weather event and will likely extend its lead in a warming world. But among
Continue Reading
Among the many changes in the spring season, you should be especially prepared for the possibility of severe thunderstorms and the threats they bring. Spring is a ripe time for storm development as cold and warm air clash and winds increase. Missouri’s severe weather season generally peaks from April to June with another bump in
Continue Reading
The snow Goose Conservation order is in full swing lasting until April 30th. This order was created in 1999 in order to solve a major issue in conservation. Tony Vandermore is the owner and a guide at Habitat Flats located in northwestern Chariton County, “So the spring conservation order was put in place because the
Continue Reading
Strong winds have started to die down a bit as deep low pressure continues to work its way out of Mid-Missouri and track northeast into the Great Lakes region. There were some slick spots on roads this morning after light snowfall accumulation, but road impacts aren’t expected into the evening commute. Winds gusted past 50
Continue Reading
It’s day two of Missouri’s Severe Weather Preparedness Week across the state and the topic of the day is lightning safety. According to the National Weather Service, there are about 16 million storms a year across the entire globe and an estimated 25 million cloud to ground lightning strikes. Lightning is typically looking to use
Continue Reading
Mid-Missouri typically records just under 12″ of rain every spring, but the upcoming spring is trending slightly wetter than normal. As the population grow in urban areas, local flash flooding continues to be a big concern. Columbia has grown by an estimated nearly 20,000 people since the 2010 census. Sprawling neighborhoods can put a strain
Continue Reading
Spring is blowing in, bringing rising temperatures and gusty winds, but rainfall has been lower than normal as Missouri heads into fire season. Over 48% of the state is drier than average, according to the latest drought monitor, and this lack of moisture is a key part of this fire danger. Gale Blomenkamp, the Assistant Fire
Continue Reading
Late winter has brought waves of extreme cold and record-low temperatures to the United States while the rest of the world is reaching unprecedented heat ceilings. This may become a familiar picture as cold snaps are getting rarer and shorter in a changing climate. Climate trends show that the United States, like much of the
Continue Reading
The national bird for the United States is known as a majestic symbol for many, but even this raptor has limitations when it comes to changing weather conditions. Just last week, a cold spill hit central Missouri, leading to multiple records being broken. Freezing temperatures like what we just saw can have a significant impact
Continue Reading
With warmer temperatures, snow melt increases. Although you can’t see much here, snowpack to the north matters greatly to help fill the Missouri River into the spring. In a news release from the US Army Corps of Engineers, John Raus explains, “With below average planes and mountain snowpack, we are forecasting a below average runoff
Continue Reading
More people are starting to spend more time outdoors with the current rise in temperatures. As the average temperature continues to rise heading closer to spring, the amount of daylight will also look to increase. Monday the 24th sees a sunset time of 5:57 with 11 hours and nine minutes of daylight for Columbia, Missouri.
Continue Reading
It’s no surprise that it’s been cold across much of Mid-Missouri, but it’s actually been record setting cold. We’ve seen two previous records already broke. The first one was going to be Wednesday afternoon’s coldest high that we’ve seen. We are now getting out of this cold and snow, and it’s looking a little bit
Continue Reading
The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for dangerously cold temperatures through tomorrow morning. Temperatures will be near zero again Friday morning, potentially recording more records across Mid-Missouri. The record low in Columbia on Friday morning is 2 degrees, set back in 1939. Wind chills will be close to the
Continue Reading
Renewable energy continues to grow and has gotten cheaper and more accessible over the years. This has been seen nationwide and in Columbia, but the city is still below its goal of 25% renewable energy that it planned to reach in 2023, and may not reach the 30% goal in place for 2030. Matt Nestor,
Continue Reading
When we talk about graupel, a lot of people get  confused with sleet, but there’s two different processes that are very similar on how each form. When we talk about sleet, we typically see the freezing temperatures that’s going to create snow in the clouds and fall. Then, above freezing portions in the atmosphere will melt the snow into rain and eventually
Continue Reading
While renewable energy has become cheaper and more accessible over the years, new tariffs targeting some of the United States’ biggest trading partners may undercut that progress. Tariffs on oil and gas were initially somewhat straightforward, with a 10% tariff set on energy imports from Canada, from which the U.S. imports over half of its
Continue Reading