Insider Blog

Southern California continues to face out of control wildfires such as the Hughes fire that has burned over 10,000 acres and only has 24% containment as of the latest check Thursday afternoon at 7 pm. Santa Anna winds continue to cause strong wind gusts pushing these fires across the landscape. The lower level atmosphere has

It’s official: La Nina is here, but not for long. After coming down from a record-breaking El Nino we will only see a brief cooldown into La Nina. La Nina and El Nino are phases of a fluctuating cycle between the atmosphere and the ocean that can have local and global impacts. This pattern is observed

It’s no secret that its been dangerously cold across the Midwest the past several days, but the southeastern most states are now seeing impactful winter storm impacts that aren’t seen often. Snow and ice has blanketed much of the area from Houston and east dropping accumulating snowfall causing travel issues for millions. The latest radar

Many Mid-Missouri residents ranging from Jefferson City and Columbia, all the way east towards St. Louis have reported hearing loud bangs and crash sounds over the past 24 hours. These loud sounds are due to something referred to as ice quakes or frost quakes which occur during abrupt cooldowns. Water located within the deeper layers

2024 was the year of extremes from the hottest temperatures in recorded history to the wettest year in the United States this decade. These overlapping extremes are becoming more common as climate change disrupts environmental cycles. Last year was wetter than any year in the United States since 2019, but there was considerable variation across

Temperatures were officially the warmest in recorded history across the globe and in the United States last year. The previous record was set just the year before in 2023, and trends for the future will likely continue to warm. Missouri experienced its second warmest year on record in 2024, with 2012 still holding strong on

The long cold spell we have seen over Mid-Missouri comes to and end the next couple of days as highs rise into the 40s and 50s across the region. With these warmer temperatures incoming, some snow melt is expected, but not all of the snow will melt completely. This will lead to the possibility of

It’s no shock that much of the Midwest has seen well below average temperatures the last couple of weeks. This trend is also expected to continue into the overnight hours with portions of Mid-Missouri seeing lows into the single digits. This means areas even further north upstream on the Missouri river will see more icing.

It’s no secret the last couple of weeks have seen exceptionally cold nights. Even more recent, lows have dropped to the single digits. A strong arctic air mass holds most of the blame for this cool spell, but recent snow cover has led to a slight dip in overnight temperatures compared to nights without the

The most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles’s history have ravaged scenic neighborhoods and forced thousands to evacuate as they remain mostly uncontained early Thursday afternoon. According to Cal Fire, the Palisades fire had burned more than 17,000 acres by Thursday morning as it blazed through the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Santa Monica. The Eaton fire,

Another round of winter weather is expected after major snow and ice earlier in the week. But we aren’t facing the same impacts in central Missouri from this next system. Even in early forecasts, the upcoming chance for snow was not impressive for our area. It didn’t require much digging to see why. The track

Extreme cold has settled across the Midwest leading to wind chills dipping below zero degrees Tuesday night. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day lasting through Thursday morning at 7 am as lows remain below ten degrees. Many people who have had to push through these cooler conditions might be

A flurry of maps and probabilities comes out when winter weather approaches, and while much of this is useful, some of it can be incorrect or misleading. Dozens of weather models simulate different versions of the atmosphere into the future with many different outcomes. This can produce extremes that lead to unrealistic expectations and misinformation.