In rural areas, a process plants go through can actually contribute to humidity and increase the feels like temperatures. When temperatures are on the rise, it allows for more water vapor to be in the atmosphere as well. This value is what we call the dewpoint, and the higher this number is, plus the closer
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This summer continues to shatter records both on land and sea. July likely observed the hottest recorded week in history as heat waves bring exceptionally abnormal conditions. This warmth is also being felt in the world’s oceans, as the Atlantic is currently undergoing a never-before-seen heat wave. On Tuesday, sea surface temperatures off the coast
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After a busy July full of rain chances and milder conditions, the long-term pattern looks to somewhat dry up and quiet down. A ridge of high pressure is currently building across the western United States, and this system could be in place through the rest of the month. Heat alerts are already up from the
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Hazy skies have been all too common this summertime due to dry conditions and an unprecedented wildfire season. Generally this smoke has remained confined in the upper atmosphere, as it has to reach great heights to be transported across the continent. Still, this wildfire smoke has been coupled with extreme drought conditions locally, which also
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The Atlantic hurricane season is currently underway, officially kicking off at the beginning of June, and a rocky forecast is expected as an atypical pattern develops in the coming months. This year has already been unusual, with two named storms forming concurrently in the Atlantic in June for the first time ever. Conflicting atmospheric features
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SETUP: Instability building back into the atmosphere in mid-MO will provide enough fuel for storms, that develop tonight, to carry a very limited severe wind threat into the region. Enough wind shear in the atmosphere will be present to keep these storms alive long enough to produce potential for damaging winds as they spread east
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SETUP: A line of storms from the west will approach mid-Missouri this evening, bringing a threat of damaging winds. While hail is also a possibility, our main concern is for winds possibly reaching 60-70 mph. Overall, the severe risk is low, and storms will generally weaken from west to east. TIMING: The Weather Alert Day
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UPDATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT UPDATE Confidence is increasing this morning in a severe round of storms after 9 p.m. Storms will generally redevelop after 7 p.m. along a boundary in the atmosphere left by activity from earlier in the day. This boundary will roughly trace I-70, but understand chances for development will fall on both sides
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The weather pattern has been more active for early July with above-average rainfall expected this month. Storm chances can occasionally arrive almost unannounced, with summer conditions fueling multiple storm systems sometimes within the same day. This setup is fairly typical in summer when it only takes minor disturbances in the atmosphere to generate immense storms.
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Much of the early summer in Mid-Missouri has been hot and dry, keeping moisture levels low and leading to sparse rainfall for several months. Extreme drought conditions have proliferated in Central Missouri as we fall behind by several inches of rain, but a pattern change is already underway as we begin July. High pressure dominated
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Multiple days this past week saw record-breaking heat, as the global average temperature reached a new peak on Monday, then again on Tuesday, with that record also tied again on Wednesday. This record is based on global averages, and while not all regions may be above-average, conditions locally have also been trending warmer. For the
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The Midwest continues to experience the brunt of this summer’s drought, as extreme dry conditions expand locally. Nearly a quarter of the state of Missouri is under extreme drought, indicating potential agricultural losses and drying of waterways. This summer has seen a particularly early uptick in drought for our region. A drought of this magnitude
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The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for Saturday due to the potential for severe storms in the afternoon. SETUP This week’s heat dome has begun to recede, leaving a stationary front overhead and hot temperatures across the Mid-South. This front, along with moisture and wind shear supplied by a
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Tonight: Scattered storms begin after 5PM this afternoon with the potential of becoming strong to severe shortly after lasting into the overnight hours. The primary impacts look to be winds up to 70 MPH, hail up to 2″ in diameter, and brief downpours. Overnight lows cool to the lower 70s. Tomorrow: Saturday morning sees scattered
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The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for Thursday and Friday as temperatures climb to triple digits with excessive humidity.
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An ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day has been implemented for Saturday afternoon until after midnight on Sunday due to the potential for isolated to widely scattered severe storms. The overall risk is relatively low, but if you have any outdoor plans, you’ll want to stay weather aware and have ways of receiving alerts that
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The latest seasonal outlooks for late summer continue to highlight a hotter and wetter-than-average season for Mid-Missouri. Much of the United States is expected to see a warm summer, with the only areas closer to normal in the Upper Plains. Much less of us are expected to have above-average rainfall, but Mid-MO is within the
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The Midwest has seen a score of hot and dry days this summer as high pressure systems move overhead. These clear out rain and moisture effectively, even pushing out any cloud cover from the region. As we see more of those bright blue skies, it’s important to stay protected while out in the sun. The
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EL NINO SOUTHERN OSCILLATION We talk a lot about “ENSO” without really mentioning it. “ENSO” or the El Nino Southern Oscillation is the phenomenon that we often refer to as El Nino or La Nina. ENSO can sometimes be classified as El Nino or La Nina based on what is happening in the equatorial waters
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The latest drought monitor is in, and even though we had a few spare storms this past week, drought grew across the state. Mid-Missouri saw only a few tenths of an inch of rain over the last 7 days, though some areas did manage to pick up more than an inch. Still, extreme drought has
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