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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It’s officially winter weather preparedness week here in Mid-Missouri, and Thursday’s topic of the day is extreme cold here in Mid-Missouri and how dangerous it can be. Since 1979, there have been 631 deaths from which hypothermia was a factor in Missouri. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. A person can
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Recalls have been popping up in more headlines in recent years as allergens, pathogens, and sometimes foreign objects contaminate our food. These outbreaks have been getting worse and climate change could be affecting foodborne illnesses. Pathogens like bacteria and viruses are the second highest cause of recalls behind allergens, and these outbreaks have been getting
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The National Weather Service in St. Louis confirmed on Tuesday that a small, short lived tornado caused damage in northeastern Montgomery County Monday night. Strong storms rolled through that part of Mid-Missouri around 9:30. The EF-0 tornado lasted about 2 minutes and had a maximum wind speed of 65 mph. The path was about 2
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UPDATES: As of this afternoon, our risk for wind and tornadoes has increased for some, as confidence increases in the presence of low level instability (storm energy) with the northward progression of the surface low. Still, plenty of wind and shear will be present with this system, so any storms could quickly become organized and
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Another month has flown by allowing meteorologists to pore over thirty days of weather conditions. Preliminary data for the last month indicates it was a notably warm and deceptively dry October for Central Missouri. Last month was in the top 20 warmest Octobers recorded in Columbia as temperatures boiled 4 degrees above average. Columbia experienced
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The 2024-2025 duck season kicks off November 2nd for the northern and middle zones of Missouri, and many hunters across the state will be eager to make their way in local marshes and rivers. It’s important to pay close attention to duck population counts, as this resource must be protected under conservation practices to ensure
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UPDATES: WEDNESDAY EVENING: A line of strong storms capable of producing 40-60 mph winds and small hail continues to track east through Mid-Missouri. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 4:00 a.m. for much of the area. BLOG An ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day has been issued for Wednesday night from 5 p.m
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Gov. Mike Parson signed an executive order on Tuesday that declared a drought alert for the state. This drought alert is in effect until March 31, 2025 as long standing issues could arise. The current drought monitor has shown an increase in extreme drought across southwestern portions of the state while severe
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The majority of Monday has seen strong winds making their way into the 30 mph range at times. These strong winds are expected to carry over lasting through mid-week as the region sits between a high pressure system to the southeast and a low pressure system to the northwest. The white lines on the ABC
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While shopping for Halloween treats, chocolate lovers may instead find a few tricks this season. That’s because cocoa prices have soared in recent years and remained at record highs, according to a recent report from Wells Fargo. This is putting strain on producers and could mean fewer chocolates filling up candy buckets this year. Scary
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It’s no surprise that the average temperature will continue to fall heading deeper into fall. This means the atmosphere will be providing drier air conditions back over much of Mid-Missouri. This drier air can lead to complications throughout the fall and winter months. Dew points have remained steady into the lower 40s for the majority
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With fall continues to settle in as the average temperatures continue to decrease deeper into October. Columbia sees average highs begin the month into the mid-70s and decrease into the lower 60s by the end of the month. This dramatic annual shift in temperatures causes a migration of bugs indoors into homes of Mid-Missourians. These
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Fairly quiet weather continues for October as Mid-MO saw little to no rain for the first half of the month. As most of the area falls further behind on rainfall, drought is becoming a problem again. The latest drought monitor, released on October 17th, shows degrading conditions across the Show Me state. Over three-quarters of
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When you look to the sky this evening, you might notice the moon appears brighter and bigger. Along with this, you might also notice an orange hue. This is due to the supermoon being seen currently known as the Hunter’s Moon. The Hunter’s moon will appear to be 8% larger and 16% brighter than a
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Mid-Missouri felt a widespread freeze Wednesday morning and while temperatures will be a few degrees warmer tonight, it will still be cold enough for frost. Even before a hard freeze, frost can become a hazard for plants in marginally warmer conditions. When sensors record temperatures in the mid-30s, this reading is often taken several feet
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