Enhanced Fujita Scale: What it means and how meteorologists use it
You know tornadoes are categorized using “EF,” but what does that mean?
Continue ReadingYou know tornadoes are categorized using “EF,” but what does that mean?
Continue ReadingThe ABC 17 Stormtrack Severe Weather Special airs Tuesday, March 10th at 6:30 p.m. on ABC 17, KMIZ. It will re-air on FOX 22, KQFX at 9:30 p.m. on that same day. In the special, the Stormtrack Weather Team will break down how they issue Weather Alert Days for severe weather. We’ll also be going
Continue ReadingBased on feedback I figured I'd alter some possible answers! Questions remains the same– To DST or not to DST…— Luke Victor 🌨️🌨️📈 (@LukeVictorWx) March 6, 2020 Prepare your clocks (and your eyelids) for the time change incoming this weekend. Daylight saving time will shift clocks forward one hour– that’s happening early Sunday morning. Don’t
Continue ReadingRed flag warnings expired across mid-Missouri this evening at 6:00 pm, but the dry and very windy conditions help fuel fire dangers across the region this afternoon. You may be wondering, especially with how wet this winter was, how we could possibly be dry enough to see brush fire dangers. Even when we consider elevated
Continue ReadingWith dual-polarization radar coming about in the early 2010s, we can now confirm when a tornado is doing damage. This helps out tremendously when tracking nighttime tornadoes.
Continue ReadingWhen we think of the start of spring, we may be thinking about several different days like the spring equinox, daylight savings time and the many holidays that happen during the season. When meteorologists speak about the start of spring, you may be confused about what we really mean. Let’s break down the science of
Continue ReadingMeteorological spring begins this Sunday. After above average snowfall this winter, many mid-Missourians are probably ready for warmer weather. On average, over the last 30 years, Columbia Regional Airport sees its first 75º+ day by March 10th. While the low 60s expected this weekend are a cut below that margin, we still have plenty more
Continue ReadingThis week, for me personally, has been a sniffly, sneezy and eye-burning fiasco. Okay, that’s perhaps a little dramatic– but it seemed to be affecting others in our newsroom too. While we’re definitely in the height of cold and flu season, we’re actually probably seeing that compounded by an early start to allergy season too.
Continue ReadingSynopsis: The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather team has issued a Weather Alert Day into Wednesday morning. Light snow accumulation is expected overnight, especially for locations east of Highway 63. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for parts of Mid-Missouri through Wednesday morning. Impacts/Timing: Snow is expected to taper off by mid-morning Wednesday, and temperatures
Continue ReadingThe way old phone alerts were sent out was that if you were in the county warned, you’d get the alert to your phone. That has changed.
Continue ReadingConditions within the Missouri Basin are similar to what played out last year, with a widespread snowpack along with above-average liquid water content.
Continue ReadingEarlier this week talked about signs of an early spring popping up across parts of the country. We’re getting more signs here in the midwest. A tweet by the St. Louis National Weather Service featured a radar loop showing what looked like rain, was actually a flock of migratory waterfowl, most likely snow geese. A
Continue ReadingSevere weather will be increasing over the next several months and our weather team figured a refresher on severe weather would be important– especially considering how we haven’t seen much activity so far this winter. Severe storms are categorized as thunderstorms which produce winds in excess of 58 mph and hail of 1″ diameter or
Continue ReadingAn article published by the USA-National Phenology Network revealed that spring has gotten off to a very fast start across the southeast United States. Vegetation has begun showing signs of spring-leafing as far north as central Arkansas and Tennessee. They also indicated that this has been the earliest this leafing has occurred in nearly 40
Continue ReadingArctic Air Blast! Bitterly cold temperatures have filtered in across Mid-Missouri thanks to a large arctic high pressure system centered to our northwest, blasting cold gusty winds through the region today. Temperatures managed to reach the single digits to low teens, but will drop to around zero tonight. A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect
Continue ReadingOur first arctic outbreak of 2020 has certainly been a powerful one across mid-Missouri. However, when you compare it to the past 3 winters, we’re running a bit behind. 2014, the year of the polar vortex featured nearly 10 occurrences of sub-zero temperatures from November to March, 5 in the meteorological winter season. That year
Continue ReadingMeteorologists typically warn of slick roads the morning following a snow event, but what we’ll see tonight is a little more rare. With today’s steady rain and snowfall, many roads and sidewalks have become a slushy mess. A very strong cold front is set to crash through the region overnight. This will not only dramatically
Continue ReadingCold and snowy weather got off to a quick start in November across mid-Missouri, but things have never really gotten back to that point ever since. We almost hit 70 degrees on Christmas and had several similar warm spells in January. Temperatures have run nearly 3.5º above average since November 1st. In between it’s been
Continue ReadingIt’s no surprise. Ever since the start of the new year, winter hasn’t been kind to mid-Missouri. It’s been cloudy, wet, snowy and everything in between. I’m sure we’re all done with the muddy shoes, muddy paws and our yards resembling more of a wet sponge, than ground and grass. When you look at the
Continue ReadingA meteorologist’s biggest fear when forecasting snowfall can be the effects that dry air can have on evaporating snowflakes before they reach the ground.
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