Insider Blog

Thursday was the fourth in the last six weeks to bring measurable snowfall to mid-Missouri; an interesting fact, but maybe not as interesting as the role the sun played in our snow accumulation that day.  As we get closer to spring, the sun gets higher in the sky as the northern hemisphere tilts closer to

As the snow fell Thursday, accumulations were first noticeable on elevated and grassy surfaces. This is largely thanks to the heat that the ground holds. Even though our air temperatures have been below freezing for much of the day, ground temperatures and specifically pavement temperatures, may still be warmer. Pavement absorbs energy from the sun

If you were out late last night, you probably noticed one of two things. Either a little bit of light drizzle, or maybe even some snow, but there is one problem with this, much of it didn’t show up on radar. Here’s a look at a radar loop from last night.  Some snow showing up to

To understand why we’ve come to expect these types of temperature swings each year, we have to start at the top.  Each winter, the jet stream migrates south and can often be found roaring over the Central U.S. This time of the year.      This often sends disturbances in our atmosphere right over our heads. These

Your intuition probably tells you that it takes longer to stop on ice than it does dry pavement, but let’s break it down by numbers. It can take you an extra 200 feet to stop your vehicle on an ice surface compared to a clear roadway. That equates to about 10 more seconds, or 4

The easiest way to measure snow, is with something called a snow board, but not the kind you’re probably thinking of. You’ll need a light colored wooden board. The color is important as a darker board will absorb too much warmth from the sun. Essentially, a roughly 4 square foot piece of plywood will do. You’ll also need a measuring

With a winter storm approaching by midweek, the stormtrack weather team has its full attention on tweaking the forecast. There are three key variables that still play a role in the remaining uncertainty surrounding the storm; track, intensity, and transition time. First, let’s look at the big picture. Our primary disturbance is an upper level

It all starts with air molecules. These scatter light, but they scatter blue light better than other colors thanks to blue’s short wavelength. At the other end of the spectrum is red light. This gets scattered last. At midday, in the summer, the sun is almost directly overhead. This means that the sun’s light has

Today’s Drought Monitor shows dry conditions spread across much of mid-Missouri. January saw few stretches of wet weather, rather mostly sporadic days of precipitation totaling roughly half what’s normal for the month.  After ending January at a defecit, February started wet. Thanks to a winter storm in the first 3 days, this month is already

It all stems from low soil moistures and lower than average snow pack to our north, and it’s expected to have some impact on our river interests here in mid-Missouri. “We’re coming off of a, the 10th driest upper basin runoff in a 124 year period of record.” John Remus, Chief of the Missouri River Basin

Heat Advisories are in place for potentially record breaking heat in southern California. Los Angeles International airport has the potential to break a record every day between now and Sunday. Of course, making the situation more complex is the large influx of likely non-acclimated people to the area for Sunday’s big game, where temperatures will

Early Monday morning, drivers were treated to an intense bout of fog in some areas. Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop F tweeted this photo of I-70 in Callaway County, showing visibility at less than one tenth of a mile. This image from MODOT’s South Rocheport Bridge camera over the Missouri River, shows visibility perhaps even