Thanksgiving climatology

This year, temperatures in Mid-Missouri look to top out near the average high for Thanksgiving day. Scattered showers are expected in the early morning hours before exiting the region by the evening. The driving force behind these near average temperatures is due to southwesterly flowing winds ahead of an approaching cold front.

Although this year looks ordinary, trends over the past 50 years has showed a slow rising trend in temperatures.

Thankfully however, we look to stay away from any potentially record breaking weather. The warmest afternoon high during this 50 year time period reached 72 degrees in 2012. The record lowest temperature bottomed out at 4 degrees back in 1950.

Overall, in the past 50 years the average high temperature has increased 2.8 degrees.

A warming Thanksgiving is not the only trend experienced across Mid-Missouri during this 50 year time period. The fastest warming season in Missouri is winter.

Data supports that the average temperature in Columbia during the winter months has increased by over 4 degrees. A close second is Spring seeing a warming trend of almost 3 degrees on average.

Both Summer and Fall each saw an increasing trend but less substantial at around 2 degrees average change during the 50 year window of measurement.