Insider Blog: Hotter than average summer expected in Mid-Missouri
We're coming off a stormy spring across Mid-Missouri ahead of another expected warmer than average summer.
Monthly average temperatures this past spring were anywhere from 2-5 degrees warmer than normal, and we finally busted out of the drought area-wide with near average rainfall. Severe weather reports were much more frequent than normal, with 92 reports statewide between March and May.
We have started to enter more of a neutral global wind pattern, meaning we could get stagnant stretches of hot and dry weather along with rounds of storms for the upcoming summer. We continue to examine a warming climate after recording the hottest year on record in 2023 globally since 1850. Climate Central reports that April 2024 marked 11 consecutive months of record-breaking global temperatures.Â
In Mid-Missouri, we can expect the most rain in June, and the hottest temperatures in July. This year, temperatures are expected to be above average, and we have equal chances of normal or above/below normal rainfall. Given the expected heat, we should prepare for the return of at least patches of drought by the end of the summer.
Summers have been getting hotter in Mid-Missouri over the last 50+ years. In Columbia, the average summer temperature has increased 2 degrees since 1970. Summer nights are also getting hotter, with the average summer overnight lows coming in about 3 degrees warmer between 1970 and 2022.
According to Climate Central, nighttime temperatures across the U.S. have warmed on average at a rate of 1.64 degrees since records began in 1895. Summer nights have warmed by 2.7°F across the contiguous U.S. since 1970.
Hotter nights limit our ability to cool off and recover from the daytime extreme heat. This can lead to greater heat stress, especially among people with chronic illness, young children, the elderly, and those who work outdoors.
Warmer overnight temperatures could also impact bug activity, increase pollen seasons, and impact crop growth.
