Columbia breaks record high on first day of spring

Friday is the spring equinox, when we experience equal amounts of daylight and night, and when many consider to be the beginning of spring. (Although for meteorologists, spring starts on March 1st for better record-keeping.)

Both meteorological spring (March 1st) and astronomical spring (March 20th) have come in hot, with temperatures over 4 degrees warmer than normal through March so far. Our most recent heat wave sent temperatures into the upper 80s for much of the area, even reaching 90 degrees in Osage Beach on Friday afternoon.

In Columbia, where records have been ongoing since 1889, a new high temperature record of 89 degrees for March 20th was set around 4 p.m. local time, easily surpassing the previous record of 84° set back in 2017.

The majority of days in March thus far have been above average, sometimes by 10 to 20 degrees or more. Columbia also set new record highs on March 9th (82°) and March 10th (83°). Those days, along with March 20th, are the top three warmest days of 2026 so far.

Above-average temperatures will continue through Saturday, but a cold front will bring a seasonable cooldown early next week. Still, the long-range forecast remains near or above average as high pressure persists over the southern U.S. through late March.