Midweek storms to end mini heatwave
This past weekend was certainly a weekend to forget, as temperatures and heat indices climbed into the triple digits. Columbia, along with many other locations, saw highs near 103 with heat indices approaching 115 in many spots. A building upper level ridge was largely responsible for the dangerous heat last week across Mid-Missouri, but a cold front quickly brought an end to the heat. The trade off for that heat were strong storms that rolled through Mid-Missouri. There were a few reports of damaging winds across Mid-Missouri, which were largely responsible from potential downbursts.
On the backside of the storms we did see a return of northeasterly winds, which pulled in seasonable temperatures and drier air. Low humidity has been welcoming here in Mid-Missouri, but as it is still summer, the heat and humidity will quickly return.
Once again, a ridge will nose into the region and nudge our temperatures about 2-3 degrees each day, with the hottest day coming Wednesday. Afternoon highs by Wednesday will be in the mid 90s, with heat indices exceeding the triple digits. It’s likely we’ll see another heat advisory issued for parts of Mid-Missouri, but this heat will be short-lived.
Frontal boundaries during the summer months are relatively weak, but much like this past weekend, another cold front will track through Mid-Missouri and bring a chance for severe weather. The Storm Prediction Center has parts of Mid-Missouri under a slight risk for severe weather. Storms won’t be as intense as what we saw this past weekend, but with some instability in place damaging winds and hail will be possible.
You’ll want to make sure you have some form of alert to wake you up in case of severe weather, as storms will one again roll through Mid-Missouri through the night Wednesday into Thursday. The main threat with any storms will be damaging winds. During the summer months storms don’t have a lot in the way of upper level support, so they quickly fall apart. This leads to a strong downdraft from storms as they decay, which leads to a greater threat of damaging winds. Any storms that are relatively healthy will have the potential for large hail as well, but they should be short-lived. It’s looking likely that the greatest threat for storms exists after 10 PM Wednesday and lasting through Thursday morning.
Through the end of the week and into the weekend, a welcoming trend will arrive into MId-Missouri. Temperatures will largely be at or below average through that time period, with overnight lows in the 60s.
Stay with ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather as we track the upcoming severe threat and cooler weather. You can also follow us on Twitter @ABC17stormtrack for all the latest information.
