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Recently by Steve Templeton


Wettest October On Record, 3rd Coldest So Far...

2:06 PM Fri, Oct 23, 2009 |


Thursday's rainfall has made this October the wettest on record in St. Louis.

8.52" October 2009 Precipitation (so far)
2.76" Normal for the entire month of October

How much rain fell in my neighbrohood Thursday? Click here for a list of rainfall totals across the area.

So far the month of October is the 3rd coldest on record, and the r...



Does This Cold October Mean A Cold Winter?

7:34 PM Fri, Oct 16, 2009 |


This is the 2nd coldest start to October on record in St. Louis (Oct. 1st - Oct. 15th), and I've heard a few people ask if this means we're in for a harsh Winter?

While this cold snap is small in the big scheme of things and certainly won't be the determining factor in our winter temperatures, it is fun and interesting to look back in the history books and see if a cold start to October equates to a cold winter.

Since th...



More Cool Mornings

9:48 PM Mon, Oct 12, 2009 |

It won't be until Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning's but we have some cold air coming back. So, if you're thinking about your outdoor plants, these are the days to watch.

Friday AM Low= 40
Saturday AM Low= 36
Sunday AM Low= 35

While this is my forecast for the St. Louis area, low-lying spots and rural areas certainly can be cooler. Being away from the heat of the city and your local topography play an importa...



Shuttle Discovery & Space Station In Night Sky

4:45 PM Tue, Sep 08, 2009 |

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=United_States®ion=Missouri&city=Saint_Louis

The link above will show you when and where to look in the night sky to see the shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station. The shuttle has undocked from the space station, so y...



Summer Stats Are In, How Cool Was It?

4:22 PM Tue, Sep 01, 2009 |

It was the 48th coolest Summer on record. That may not sound remarkable (and it's not) considering that we had the 8th coolest July on record. However, you have to think way back to June when we had a pretty good hot spell that helped push our Summer average temperatures up this year. In fact, June was the 28th warmest on record.

Average Mean Temperature
June: 2.1 degrees above normal
July: 4.6 degrees



Winter Outlook & El Nino

3:13 PM Thu, Aug 13, 2009 |

El Nino is back! Wait, what is El Nino-other than a great wrestling name?

Short and simple: El Nino refers to warmer than normal waters in the Pacific. The warm ocean surface in turn warms the air which in turn has an affect on wind patterns that steer storms, cold air, warm air etc...

How does this affect me?
El Nino's affects on St. Louis climate are more pronounced during Winter (Dece...



Meteor Shower-Get Your Wishes Ready

2:45 PM Tue, Aug 11, 2009 |

If you want to wish upon a falling star, Tuesday night and Wednesday night you'll have plenty of opportunity. The perseid meteor shower (A.K.A. falling stars) will peak Tuesday night and Wednesday night (Aug. 11th-12th).

You'll want to look to the Northeast sky to see these meteors burning up in the Earth's atmopshere. They originate from an area in the sky where the Perseus constellation is located, thus the name "Perseid meteor s...



Hot Weekend Ahead

3:58 PM Thu, Aug 06, 2009 |


We're looking at some heat this weekend that we haven't experienced in over a month. As of Thursday, here's my forecast highs and the heat index:

Saturday: 97 Peak Heat Index: 104
Sunday: 97 Peak Heat Index: 104
Monday: 95 Peak Heat Index: 103

There is a slight chance of storms Monday and a better chance Tuesday. This chance of rain and at the very least an increase in clouds, should knock our high tem...



8th Coolest July In 135 Years Of Records!

9:08 PM Fri, Jul 31, 2009 |

8th Coolest July In 135 Years Of Records!

This was the 8th coolest July on record in St. Louis. Those records go all the way back to 1874! Our monthly average temperature was 75.6. The record is 74.9 and I've listed the top ten below,

ST. LOUIS (1874 - 2009)
#1 74.9 1967, 1891
#3 75.0 1924
#4 75.2 1950
#5 75.3 1971
#6 75.4 1905, 1882
...



Is This The Coolest July On Record

3:58 PM Sun, Jul 26, 2009 |

This will likely be a top ten coolest July on record. Using my forecast through the end of July, I have our average July temperature at 75.5. You can see the top ten list of coolest July's on record below. My forecast of 75.5 would put July 2009 at the 8th coolest on record.

Another interesting stat that the National Weather Service dug up, is that we've had 8 days this July with highs in the 70s. That's the most on record for the ...



Great week to see the Shuttle and Space Station over St. Louis

4:22 PM Fri, Jul 17, 2009 |

There will be several times where you can see the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station in the night sky without a telescope for the next week or more. Skies may cloud up a bit in the afternoon this weekend, but I'm hoping for some breaks in the clouds in the evening to make for a decent viewing of the shuttle and ISS. You may even need a jacket at night as it will be rather cool for July.

Great week to see the Shuttle and Space Station over St. Louis



Will It Rain On The 4th Of July?

10:01 PM Wed, Jul 01, 2009 |

The bottom line: I have the St. Louis area with an 80% chance of storms between Midnight and Noon on Saturday and a 40% chance of isolated storms after Noon. But here's more details...

Morning: Scattered Rain Likely
If you're heading to the VP Parade at 10AM, be prepared that there is a chance of rain, but you'll be happy to know that the forecast models seem to show the heaviest rain before 9AM.



The Heat Index Explained

9:06 PM Mon, Jun 22, 2009 |


Heat Index = -42.379 + 2.04901523T + 10.14333127R - 0.22475541TR -
6.83783x10-3T2- 5.481717x10-2R2 + 1.22874x10-3T2R + 8.5282x10-
4TR2 - 1.99x10-6T2R2

where T = ambient dry bulb temperature (°F)
R = relative humidity (integer percentage).

Well that explains it!
Uhh....not really.

Actually, that is a version of the equation behind our heat index ca...



What's The Urban Heat Island Effect?

4:41 PM Sat, Jun 20, 2009 |

The Urban Heat Island Effect is why urban areas are warmer than rural areas. It's the altered landscape of a city that helps keep the temperature warmer than the rural areas.

For example, asphalt parking lots, roads, and concrete buildings can retain more heat than rural areas with shade and vegetation. In fact, the EPA estimates that these urban surfaces can be 50 to 90 degrees hotter than the air temperature!

All the concre...



How Much Rain This Year?

4:04 PM Thu, Jun 04, 2009 |


Although it has been soggy in the past week or so, we're 0.24" below normal for precipitation on the year so far. But I checked the climate database and since May 25th we've had 6 of 10 days recording .10" or more at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. And from May 25th to June 3rd there was 3.98" of rain at St. Louis Lambert. That's more than the monthly normal rainfall from the whole month of June and we had it come down in a...



Hottest Day Of The Year

4:27 PM Mon, Jun 01, 2009 |


Hard to believe we didn't have any 90 degree temperatures in May, but on Monday, June 1st we hit 92 which is the hottest of the year...so far. What's interesting is that while we should be near 90 again Tuesday, the bottom then falls out.

Highs may not reach 70 on Wednesday and we could be near record lows by Thursday morning!

What's happening?
It's a combination of a cold front passing Wednesday morning and the...



Over 10" Of Rain On Memorial Day

3:49 PM Tue, May 26, 2009 |

Madison county Illinois had tremendous rainfall on Memorial Day as storms continued to develop in the same area. We call that training, and it's almost like each storm is a train car with storm after storm rolling over the same area bringing heavy rain that can quickly cause flooding. While you look at the rainfall totals from Memorial Day below, keep in mind the normal rainfall for St. Louis in the entire month of May is 4.11" >> Continue reading: Over 10" Of Rain On Memorial Day



Damage Survey From May 13th-14th Storms

9:28 PM Sat, May 16, 2009 |


The National Weather Service found that a brief tornado touched down in Bismarck, MO and the Gillespie, IL damage was from both straight line winds (a downburst) and also a small tornado. I've got a link below with more details:


http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lsx/?n=05_13_2009

Steve Templeton

...



Tornado Report

5:08 PM Thu, May 14, 2009 |


It appears a brief tornado touched down in the town of Bismarck in St. Francois County Missouri. I mentioned this breifly on the 6pm news and wanted to provide more details, so below is the report taken directly from the National Weather Service web site.


Steve Templeton

000
NOUS43 KLSX 142206
PNSLSX
ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059...



Want Warmer Weather?

4:44 PM Wed, May 06, 2009 |

Today someone asked me "when's it gonna warm up?". I told him 76 tomorrow is warmer, but he then asked when we'll hit the 80s. I did some checking, and we've only had four days with highs in the 80s since April 1st this year. So, I understand why he's anxious for more of that heat (Although I personally love 72 and sunny).

So, I figured there's more people like him wondering when the warmer 80s return. I just don't see it happenin...



Warmer Weather On The Way!

4:32 PM Mon, Apr 20, 2009 |

Now we have a good handle on this warm-up through the work week. But don't expect the warm air Tuesday, as it will be cool and windy.

Warmer High Temperatures:
Wednesday= 70
Thursday= 78
Friday= 82
Complete 7-day, click here

What about the weekend?
That's a tougher call right now. Some models are showing a cold front making it in...



Warmer Weather On The Way?

4:42 PM Thu, Apr 16, 2009 |


While it will be warmer Friday with a high near 70, it cools down over the weekend with a chance of showers and a few storms. And Monday's high of 52 with light rain means another day when people are asking, "when's it gonna warm up?".

There's signs of hope as we do have 72 by next Thursday (click for 7-day here). And in another sign of warmer weather right around the corner, ...



Chilly & Wet April

4:15 PM Tue, Apr 14, 2009 |

Through April 14th:
2.44" rain, 0.88" above normal.
Average High So Far This April= 57, Normal High=64.

I was digging into the Climate books and found that through April 14th, half of our April days have had rain. We had 7 days of recorded rainfall at Lambert International Airport this April so far with a total of 2.44" of rain.

Also, it's been rather chilly. We've had 11 of 14 days at or b...



Weather Pattern Brings Rain Chances

3:37 PM Mon, Mar 30, 2009 |

We're going to have a rain chance Tuesday morning, then again Thursday and then again Sunday. What's happening is that a pattern of flow is setting up that will drive low pressure rain producing systems from the Northwest down into the Southern Plains states and then East across the Midwest.

The first low misses us well to the North tomorrow, but the cold front sweeps in producing rain in the morning. Most of this will be showers t...



Storms & Heavy Rain Possible

3:57 PM Mon, Mar 23, 2009 |

Tuesday looks like a wet and windy day. Occasional showers and storms in the morning with non-storm wind gusts throughout the day hitting 35-40 mph or more. The stronger storms arrive in the afternoon and evening, but blow out of the area by 11pm. In the metro these stronger storms should be moving through between 3pm and 8pm, perhaps as a squall line. The main threat is damaging wind gusts, lightning and heavy rain but an isolated tornado ...



Flood Outlook

4:32 PM Mon, Mar 16, 2009 |


It's looking like normal flooding has a good chance of happening, but excessive flooding does not appear likely. By "excessive" I mean river levles reaching near those all time record highs. So that's comforting.

The National Weather Service has issued an updated flood outlook which is a forecast for what to expect for the next 3 months or so concerning river flooding in our area. This outlook takes into account the snowpack ...



Mississippi River Rising

2:38 PM Thu, Mar 12, 2009 |

While the St. Louis area hasn't seen a ton of rain this March, there's been a lot of heavy rain North of us. That rain is causing the Mississippi to swell. The river levels won't be record setting by an means, but if you have any interests along the Mississippi check out the linke below for the flood details. Here in St. Louis there won't be much impact, though the River will be noticeably high.

>> Continue reading: Mississippi River Rising



Update....Nine Tornadoes Confirmed

1:58 PM Tue, Mar 10, 2009 |

And the numbers keep going up. The latest from the National Weather Service storm damage survey team shows preliminary results of nine tornadoes across our vieweing area from Sunday's storms. The reason the totals continued to rise is because it takes time to drive out and research the damage from the storms. Then after putting together the damage results and talking to witnesses, the weather service team makes their results available. >> Continue reading: Update....Nine Tornadoes Confirmed



Update...Seven Confirmed Tornadoes

8:11 PM Mon, Mar 09, 2009 |

Another five tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service storm damage survey from Randolph and Washington counties in Illinois. This is still preliminary results, but it brings the total tornadoes from Sunday's storms to seven (1 in Greene county and 1 in Macoupin county in Illinois detailed in the previous blog).

Here's the breakdown of the five tornado damage paths just surveyed by the National Weather Service.


Two Tornadoes Confirmed

5:16 PM Mon, Mar 09, 2009 |


The National Weather Service surveyed damage across portions of the News4 viewing area from Sunday's storms and has confirmed at least two tornades.

I called the weather service this afternoon and the survey team was en route to Randolph county, Illinois to check out more damage. So, it is possible that they confrim another tornado. However, as of 5:00 pm Monday, there's no update. I'll let you know if more tornadoes are co...



Big Snow Storm 1 Year Ago

3:30 PM Tue, Mar 03, 2009 |

Tornado Drill In Illinois

4:45 PM Mon, Mar 02, 2009 |

If you live in Illinois you may hear the tornado sirens go off on Tuesday March 3rd around 10:00 AM. It's only a drill!. This is severe weather awareness week in Illinois and it's a great time to think about your severe weather plan. You hear us mention this every year, but it really helps to know exactly where to go in the case of a severe storm or tornado. The key part is that it helps eliminate the "thinking" part of it...



Cold For The Mardi Gras Parade

9:22 PM Tue, Feb 17, 2009 |

Kent and I have been talking during our weathercasts how this year's Mardi Gras Parade (Saturday the 21st) is going to be bitterly cold. I'm not talking "It's February, of course it's cold" type weather, no this will be colder. This will be more like the Mardi Gras from two years ago, about 15 degrees below normal, windy and flurries. Take a look at our current forecast compared to the normals for this Saturday.

Normal high= 46

...



A Taste Of Early Spring!

5:16 PM Wed, Feb 04, 2009 |


Well, we've lowered the high on Thursday from 50 to 45, but that's still much warmer than today's 25! And it gets warmer Friday and Saturday with highs in the 50s. In fact, right now we've got Saturday's high at 58, so I checked the climate data to see when we normally see a high around 58. It's about March 22nd, which is right around the Spring Equinox. So, in early February we truly will get a taste of early Spring temperatures. ...



42 Degree Temperature Change!

4:18 PM Tue, Feb 03, 2009 |


From 8 degrees to 50 degrees, that's the warm up that will happen over a two day span. It would be nicer if it all happened on Wednesday, but that will not be the case. But just as quick as this Arctic air moved in, we will see a quick warm up starting Thursday afternoon. And the mild air lasts into the weekend with highs in the 50s.

Wednesday Morning Forecast= 8

Thursday Afternoon Forecast= 50

So, we have a ...



Snowfall Totals

4:18 PM Wed, Jan 28, 2009 |


The snow is over and the measurements are coming in. Below is the complete list of snow and sleet (combined) reports with the time and date the report was called in. Monday night's snow totals were lower because of all the sleet mixed in. Then Tuesday night's storm was the big hit because the storm track veered just slightly to the North. When you add it all up, most of the totals from the metro were on the high end or slightly high...



Where's The Snow?

8:50 PM Mon, Jan 19, 2009 |


Where's The Snow?
People have been asking that since we haven't had a whole lot of snow so far. Through January 21st we've had 4.1" which is far less than the 11.4" of normal snowfall through this point in the season. But snow can come in bunches and there is a lot of Winter left. In fact, last year through January 21st we had 7.4" of snow, most of which came down all at once from a storm in mid December. >> Continue reading: Where's The Snow?



Inauguration Weather

3:28 PM Mon, Jan 19, 2009 |

Cold, Breezy and some flurries or a light snow. That's the quick and dirty forecast for Tueaday's Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C. Morning temperatures will be in the mid to upper 20s but it will feel like the teens with a breeze from the Northwest.

As for the weather here in St. Louis, it won't be a whole lot different. Cold and a bit breezy at times but not too windy. Flurries are possible but mainly in the e...



Wettest Year On Record

9:47 PM Tue, Dec 23, 2008 |


2008 is officially the wettest year on record in St. Louis with 55. 98" of precipitation (and counting as it's still raining tonight). With only 8 more days in the year, we broke the record record at 1:02 pm on December 23rd. The previous record was 54.97" of rain in 1982.

Here's a link to the top ten wettest years and how Columbia, MO...



Will It Be A White Christmas? Update #2

4:46 PM Sun, Dec 21, 2008 |


It's Sunday and I just poured over the latest forecast information, paying close attention to the possibility of a White Christmas. I created a video, click here, to explain the complicated pattern and my latest thinking on the chance of a White Christmas.

http://www.kmov.com/video/index.html?nvi...



A White Christmas?

5:45 PM Fri, Dec 19, 2008 |


For kids and kids at heart, here's your White Christmas update:

A storm system will move through Tuesday and Wednesday, but right now the forecast projections are leaning towards mostly rain. That's because just as the cold, below freezing air arrives Wednesday morning, the moisture will be leaving. If today's forecast holds, it doesn't look like we'll see snow on the ground for Christmas.

But wait! There's still a c...



More Freezing Rain? How Does It Form?

5:33 PM Tue, Dec 16, 2008 |


Kent and I have been looking at a storm setting up for Thursday that likely will produce an ice storm in the Midwest. It looks like the ice storm is going to be North of St. Louis. An area North and South of a line from Quincy, IL to Peoria to Chicago seems to be the target for this ice accumulation. Here in the St. Louis area it will start out below freezing Thursday morning with pockets of light freezing rain that then should turn ...



Rain, Snow & A Winter Car Kit

4:19 PM Tue, Dec 02, 2008 |


Wednesday will bring us a chance for rain and perhaps as early as the evening commute some snow may mix in as well. In the evening we may see it turn to all snow briefly before the moisture moves out and we're left with a few flurries in the evening. Because this will be a brief snow and because pavement temperatures will be above freezing, there will be little to no accumulation. If any accumulation occurs it will be less than an in...



Weekend Weather, Chance For Snow?

9:02 PM Fri, Nov 28, 2008 |


It's not a big storm, but there is indeed a chance for falling snow this weekend. I say "falling" because I don't expect much if any accumulation, though a dusting is possible in the St. Louis area. But this storm system will not arrive until Saturday night into Sunday.

You can check out the latest on demand video forecast explaining how this storm will impact your weekend on the right hand side of our weather page, Weekend Weather, Chance For Snow?



See The Space Station & Shuttle In The Night Sky

4:43 PM Fri, Nov 21, 2008 |

Without a telescope, you can see the International Space Station (ISS) and the Shuttle Endeavour in the night sky at different times during the next week. They aren't visible for a very long time, so follow the link below to check out times to see them and how long they are visible.

Tomorrow (Saturday Nov. 22nd) the shuttle and space station will still be connected together. Right now I think there will be partly cloudy skie...



3rd Wettest Year On Record

4:23 PM Tue, Nov 11, 2008 |


This is now the 3rd wettest year on record in St. Louis. Today's rain of 0.45" at St. Louis Lambert Airport puts our yearly precipitation total at 52.03". If St. Louis receives an additional 2.95" of rain and/or snow before the end of the year, it will be the westtest yer on record!

Below is a lost of the top 5 wettest years in St. Louis for records going back to 1870:

1)54.97" (1982)
2)54.76" (1993)



Best Weekend For Fall Foliage

5:43 PM Fri, Oct 31, 2008 |


Kent was just saying today that this weekend could end up being the best for viewing the Fall Colors. It's obvious by looking at the pictures below (taken Friday from the Arch grounds) that the trees are showing some fantastic color. Despite the fact that some trees are still green, this weekend offers some abnormally mild weather to take a drive in the convertible or on the bike to check out the Fall Colors.

This weekend high...



Tips To Protect Plants From Freezing Temps.

1:45 PM Mon, Oct 27, 2008 |


Tonight we will see temperatures below feezing, but before you know it the highs will be in the 60s to near 70 toward the end of the week. So, you may want to try and save some tender outdoor plants from the freeze since it will be nice later in the week.

I'm no garden expert, in fact I like to say I have a black thumb, but I did some research for you green thumbs out there and perhaps you'll find a tip you didn't know about. >> Continue reading: Tips To Protect Plants From Freezing Temps.



Fall Foliage Peak

3:33 PM Sat, Oct 25, 2008 |

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, we're probably experiencing the peak of the Fall Foliage in the St. Louis area. But I checked an update from Alton and as of October 23rd the Alton area leaf change was at 40%. If we are experiencing the peak of Fall foliage in the St. Louis area, this is just the beginning as the majority of Oak trees are still changing colors. For more details from the >> Continue reading: Fall Foliage Peak



Is This The Wettest Year On Record?

3:42 PM Wed, Oct 22, 2008 |


Not Yet...but 2008 is already the 4th wettest year on record for St. Louis. And we've been forecasting a slow moving system to trek across the area Thursday bringing about 0.5" to 1.0" of rain and then a few light showers on Friday that might add up to 0.1". So we expect the yearly precipitation total to climb over the next couple of days.

Below is where we stand right now in the record books for the wettest year in St. Louis:...



Why Do Leaves Change Color?

8:00 PM Mon, Oct 20, 2008 |

Why do the leaves change color?
Actually, the orange, yellow and brown colors are already in the leaves even during the summer time. However, you can't see those colors because the green color is so dominant. The green color comes from chlorophyll, a chemical that helps plants use sunlight to break down water and carbon dioxide into sugars- a food source for plants.

Less and Less Daylight Starts The C...



A $25 Million Radar? I Want It!

4:50 PM Fri, Oct 17, 2008 |


A $25 million radar? That's on my wish list now that I've returned this week from the National Weather Association conference in Louisville, Kentucky. I learned a lot as both broadcast meteorologists and meteorologists from the National Weather Service and private sector all gathered to present the latest research and findings on all sorts of topics in the world of weather.

For instance, I learned about the latest research on a...



Fall Foliage Update

8:10 PM Tue, Oct 07, 2008 |

With the weather turning dry through this upcoming weekend and possibly our next storm chance coming Monday night into Tuesday of next week, we should have plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors. But is it a good time to see the Fall foliage across the area?

I found a great web site from the Missouri Department of Conservation, click here, that updates the Fall foliage cond...



Autumn Begins 10:44 AM Monday!

4:10 PM Sun, Sep 21, 2008 |

Since this Summer hasn't been as hot as past years, maybe it is easy to believe that Fall starts Monday. The Autumnal Equinox marks the beginning of Autumn and that occurs at 10:44 AM.

Why is it such a specific time?
At that time the sun crosses the celestial equator, meaning the sun is directly in line with the equator at that moment.

Why Is It When Fall Starts?
But ...



Holy Curvature Batman-Tropical Storm Hanna

4:15 PM Fri, Sep 05, 2008 |

Did you see the wicked turn North in Tropical Storm Hanna? Check out the two links below, one is a radar loop of the storm and the other is the historical track of the storm.

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200808_radar.html#a_topad (might take a few seconds to load the loop)

>> Continue reading: Holy Curvature Batman-Tropical Storm Hanna



Gustav, Our Rain Chances, Hanna and Ike

4:05 PM Mon, Sep 01, 2008 |


Hurricane Gustav came ashore about 70 miles Southwest of New Orleans as a strong category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph. Because the intensity weakened a bit (though still a big time storm) and because the storm hit much farther away from New Orelans, the Crescent City was spared the type of damage Katrina brought. But it was the fact that (so far) the levees have not failed that has made the big differe...



Switching Into A Wet Pattern

4:02 PM Wed, Aug 20, 2008 |

It's been two weeks since we've had measurable rain at St. Louis Lambert Airport, but that's about to change. While it won't be a rainout the next four days, at the very least we have a rain chance in the forecast tonight through the weekend. This has been an unusual dry spell in what has been a very wet year so far. In fact, at one point in July the Weather Service deemed this the wettest start to the year on record for St. Louis.

...



Storm Damage Photos

8:37 PM Thu, Aug 07, 2008 |

jerseyville_3.jpg

This large tree smashed in the roof of an SUV and blew out the back windows. It was a massive tree that was uprooted from what is est...



Big Time Heat On The Way

3:44 PM Thu, Jul 31, 2008 |


The History:
Last year on August 2nd we began a major heat wave with 13 of 14 days 95 or hotter. The hottest temperature of the year was during that stretch on August 15th at 105!

The Forecast:
Will we repeat that this August as we expect intense heat to build in on Sunday? It doesn't look like we'll have as long a stretch of major heat, but all the forecast models are showing a co...



Mini Heat Wave Breaks

8:21 PM Mon, Jul 21, 2008 |

On Tuesday a cold front will bring a cool down to the area, ending eight days in a row of 90 degree heat or higher, including Sunday's 99 degree high and Monday's 98 degree high.

Heat Index: With more heat surely around the corner (it's not even August yet) I thought I'd explain a little bit about the heat index. Firstly, you may hear us say "heat index" and "feels like temperature" and wonder what's the diff...



Are We Done With Flooding?

5:55 PM Sat, Jul 05, 2008 |

As the River falls, some may be thinking that we're done with the flood threat. But the Mississippi River is still not below flood stage in our area and so the flooding impact continues. However, take a look at the chart below where the line graph forecasts the falling river level in Winfield. The going forecast has the Mississippi falling to below flood stage in Winfield this weekend. At St. Louis the Mississippi should fall below flood...



Levee Breaches Change The Flood Forecast

5:45 PM Thu, Jun 19, 2008 |

*****Yet Another Update, Thursday Evening June 19th**********

We Never Stop looking over the latest flood information and there has been a significant change. Because of levee breaches North of St. Louis, the crest forecast along the Mississippi has changed significantly. Along the Mississippi in our viewing area the crest is forecast to be 1 to 2 feet lower than previously thought. This means levels should be below the record crest...



Mississippi River Flooding, Especially Near Grafton, IL

4:28 PM Tue, Jun 10, 2008 |

Yesterday's blog focused on the Mississippi at St. Louis and today I wanted to point out not only the flooding all along the Mississippi into early next week, but especially Grafton, IL. The Mississippi at Grafton is forecast to rise to 28.5' which is 10.5' above flood stage. That's right on the borderline of what's classified by the weather service as "Major Flooding".

Here's a list of what is impacted in the Grafton area when the...



Mississippi & Missouri Flooding

5:16 PM Mon, Jun 09, 2008 |

After a weekend of heavy rain in Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, much of that rain will run into streams that eventually dump into the Missouri or Mississippi River. Because of this, the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers will be on the rise into this upcoming weekend. In fact, below is the river level graph on the Mississippi River at St. Louis. You can see the sharp rise in the water level forecasted for this weekend. At St...



Air Quality Forecasting Begins

5:18 PM Tue, May 20, 2008 |

Today is the official start to what we call our "Aircast", which is an air quality forecast for theSt. Louis area. Again this year we're proud to be the storm team chosen to create your air quality forecast, which updates in the mid to late afternoon on KMOV.com or will be featured in our evening weathercasts.

This year we will begin incorporating particulate matter (dust and small particulates), however once again it will be low le...



Frosty Weather

9:14 PM Mon, Apr 28, 2008 |


First we had some sleet or small hail today and now we're talking about a frost or freeze tonight.

It may sound like it's late in the season for a frost, so I did some digging. If we hit 32 at Lambert airport it would tie for the 5th latest frost on record in St. Louis. However, the latest frost was on May 10th back in 1966. I checked with the Weather Service today and they said the average last frost for St. Louis is around ...



Close to 80, but no cigar

5:12 AM Wed, Apr 23, 2008 |

The high temperature Tuesday was 79, which is above the average high of 69, but it means we still haven't hit 80 at Lambert International Airport. Now, I've seen quite a few low 80s on Tuesday from our weatherbug netowrk (links for those sites are in the middle of the weather page here on KMOV.com), but we just can't seem to get to 80 at Lambert. But we're forecasting temperatures near 80 for Wednesday, which could be our first 80 degree or ...



What's Inside Hail?

8:35 PM Tue, Apr 22, 2008 |

hail rings.jpg

Click Image F...



Another Shake, Rattle & Roll?

3:58 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |


Everyone is asking, "Did you feel the earthquake"? I'm so dissapointed that I slept through it and did not feel the aftershock later in the morning. Oh Well, maybe next time. It turns out there have been more than 10 smaller after shocks, even a few today.

The strongest aftershock today (Saturday) hit around Noon. However, it rated a 2.8 which no one likely noticed except for geologists studying and monitoring the area. Here...



Storms, Flooding & River Levels

3:48 PM Thu, Apr 10, 2008 |

It may be a busy night in the 4Warn storm center. A potent storm system is swinging through the Midwest and will produce several areas of strong to severe storms including the possibility of tornadoes. If the storms do flair up in our area, we'll go into storm mode sending our crews out across the area while Kent and I track the latest storms and provide live updates on KMOV.com and channel 4. While there is a slight risk of severe...



Tuesday Storm Threat

3:23 PM Mon, Apr 07, 2008 |


I just finished looking over some of the new information regarding Tuesday's storm threat. It looks like there will be a slight risk of severe weather across the area, with an increased threat between Noon and 9pm. Before Noon and in the early morning hours a few storms from Western and Central Missouri may still be producing small hail as they weaken and move towards the Bi-state. So, while morning rain and storms are possible, the ...



An Active Week Ahead

3:27 PM Sun, Apr 06, 2008 |

Despite today being a beautiful Sunday, it looks like we have a couple stormy days ahead this week. It's not going to be one of those weeks with a chance of rain every day, but it looks like both Tuesday and Thursday could see storms with a potential for heavy rain.

Tuesday morning a warm front moves in with more moisture which should produce some morning showers and a few storms across the area. But it's Tuesday afternoon that looks...



Coolest Winter Since 2001

4:18 PM Thu, Mar 13, 2008 |

This Winter on average across the US and the globe is the coolest since 2001. While it was the coolest in recent years, it was still above the normal. You can find out more from this article, click here.

So this got me thinking...let's look at our numbers here in St. Louis for this Winter. By the way, to make keeping climate records easier, ...



Biggest Snow of The Winter In St. Louis

8:21 PM Tue, Mar 04, 2008 |

Tuesday March 4th was the biggest snow of the year in St. Louis with 10" officically at Lambert airport (the official measuring station for the St. Louis area). It puts our 2007-2008 winter snowfall total at 30.1" so far (could be a bit more before it's all over too). But this season's snowfall has not been rivaled in nearly 15 years since the Winter of 1992-1993 which had 30.3". So, as many people have guessed this is a snowy Winter compar...



Wintry Storm Totals

3:51 PM Fri, Feb 22, 2008 |

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Thanks to our friends at the National Weather Service for putting together this detailed map of storm totals from our several waves of sleet, freezing rain and some snow. Once again the area South of St. Louis including Potosi, Farmington and over to Sparta, Illinois saw the highest amounts of sleet and free...



What's The Deal With Sleet?

3:51 PM Tue, Feb 12, 2008 |

A few people at the station were asking the question, "If we're getting so much ice South of St. Louis, why aren't there more power outages?" Kent and I addressed that on the evening shows Monday night and even did a brief explainer of how sleet forms. But I'll go into a bit more detail here.

To answer the question above, keep in mind that sleet and freezing rain are both ice. But they form in different ways.

It's freezing ra...



Extreme Weather

3:31 PM Wed, Feb 06, 2008 |

In the past ten days we've had 3 days with severe storm warnings, an 8" snow storm, 2 days with highs in the 70s and 3 days with highs near 30. It's been a wild ride and if you caught our forecast tonight, we don't have any major storms in the next 5 days, though we do have a high of 50 Friday and then a low of 12 by Sunday morning.

So what's causing this extreme weather? There are so many variables involved in daily and weekly wea...



A Stormy Night!

2:13 PM Tue, Jan 08, 2008 |

A slow moving cold front combined with record warmth and lots of available moisture brought an extended round of spring like severe severe storms to the News 4 viewing area last night and this morning.

Most of the storm reports in our area were from hail or high winds/wind damage. Hail of 0.75-1inch diameter was reported in Palmyra, Hannibal, Silex, Eolia, Washington, Marthasville, Cottlesville, Cuba, Sullivan and Bourbon, Missouri....



Don't Forget Your Pets!

2:14 PM Wed, Jan 02, 2008 |


With the coldest air of the season upon us and another night with lows near or into the single digits, it's a good time remember your pets. Pets can get frostbite just like humans, it's best to keep them indoors during this cold spell or monitor them closely if they're outdoors for a while.

On walks with your dog watch for anti-freeze which drips on the pavement from cars. Ant-freeze may taste good to your dog, but it's leth...



Big Temperature Change

1:41 PM Mon, Dec 31, 2007 |

Get ready for some big temperature changes. This New Year's Eve night the temperature will fall through the 30s to near 28 around Midnight. But the wind will crank up too and strong winds will make the wind chill a big factor through New Year's Day as well. Here's a look at my temperature and wind chill forecast for tonight through Wednesday morning

New Year's Eve Midnight
Temp= 28 Wind Chill= 16

Tues...



The Moon & Mars

10:11 PM Sun, Dec 23, 2007 |


Many calls came in about how close the moon and Mars were tonight. They appeared to be nearly touching and they were full and bright. Althought not quite as close, you can still catch a glimpse of the Moon and Mars in the Eastern sky on Christmas Eve night.

Here's a link to more info: Click here

...



Cold & Snowy Start To December

8:17 PM Tue, Dec 18, 2007 |

The fine folks at our local National Weather Service have been digging into the record books, and we thank them for some interesting stats.

It turns out that it was a colder than average start to December. 16 of the first 17 days of this month had morning lows at or below the freezing mark of 32. Just yesterday (Monday) we hit the coldest low of the season at 11 degrees at Lambert. And of course we know it was a snowy start to the m...



Keeping Up With The Changes

8:10 PM Fri, Dec 14, 2007 |

One of the reasons snowfall is so difficult to forecast is because small changes in the forecast have large impacts on our snowfall expectation. And if you read Matt's blog below you know one model had flurries and the other had 3-5" for us. Here's why we lose hair over snowfall forecasts...the model that showed flurries is now pumping out nearly 10" of snow for St. Louis! On the other hand, the other model has stuck to it's guns and is sti...



Weekend Snow Chances

8:14 PM Wed, Dec 12, 2007 |

Oh brother, it just keeps coming! So, before I get into some details on the weekend snow chances, I want to make mention of what's happening tonight into Thursday morning. From Rolla to St. Louis to Litchfield and Northwest we don't expect a whole lot of wet weather, but some light rain, sleet, snow is possible with little to no accumulation. Southeast of that line we expect nearly all rain. Although we expect any wet weather to move out j...



Ice or Rain...What's Next?

4:26 PM Tue, Dec 11, 2007 |

It seems like every day we are thrown another shot of moisture and temperatures near freezing at some point in the day. So, it begs the question, what's next?

Rain is the answer for most of us, including the St. Louis metro for Tuesday evening. Areas Northwest however, may see some ice later this evening as temperatures approach and drop below freezing. The farther Northwest, the better chance for ice accumulation. Right now it app...



More Winter Weather? Or Just Rain?

6:35 PM Fri, Dec 07, 2007 |

So matt just blogged about our first encounter this season with some Wintery weather, and now we will be very close to the freezing line this weekend as some wet weather moves through.

So, let me take you through the details on what we're thinking (Firday evening) for this weekend storm:

Ice will mainly be Northwest of the St. Louis metro. While some spots in the viewing area may see some brief periods of freezing rain or driz...



Overrunning

7:56 PM Wed, Nov 28, 2007 |


Overrunning is a term that describes why we are thinking there's a possibility of freezing rain or sleet Saturday morning as this wet weather begins.

Overrunning is when warm and moist air runs over on top of a shallow dome of cold air at the surface. I'll probably over simplifiy this, but the analogy of a speed bump comes to mind. Your tires have no choice but to run up and over the speed bump. Similarily, warm air is runn...



Wet Weekend Weather

7:49 PM Tue, Nov 27, 2007 |

Well, it looks like some wet weather is headed this way for the weekend. The big question is what type of wet weather? Rain, Snow, Freezing rain or sleet (what about all of the above)?

It's too early to have that kind of confidence in the forecast models to pinpoint a precipitation type and timing. Sometimes when you're looking at a storm forecast like this and it's several days away, you focus more on the track of the Low pressure, ...



Frosty Football Weather: Mizzou vs. Kansas

10:01 PM Fri, Nov 23, 2007 |

I'm not sure a lot of people at the beginning of the college football season would have pegged the Missouri vs. Kansas game as this BIG. You may have watched LSU fall to Arkansas on Ch. 4 on Friday and now the Mizzou vs. Kansas game will probably have the eyes of the nation watching for possible National Title game implications. At this point, I know what you're thinkging...is this blog from Steve Savard or Steve Templeton?

All righ...



An Early Glimpse At Holiday Weather & Travel Troubles

4:47 PM Thu, Nov 15, 2007 |


Thanksgiving is still 7 days away, but many are already making or finalizing plans for the holiday. With such an important holiday ahead of us, the 4Warn Storm Team has been keeping a close eye on the forecast for next week, and trust me when I say it's a difficult forecast. Part of the difficulty is due to the fact that Thanksgiving is still 7 days away. And we've seen these extended forecast projections completely reverse by the t...



Warm Up Ahead

3:34 PM Wed, Nov 07, 2007 |

What a chilly morning! It was 27 degrees for the low this morning from the sensor St. Louis-Lambert Airport. That makes today the coldest morning of the season so far. It hasn't been this chilly to start a day since April 8th when it was 26.

But for those of you who dislike the chilly air, there's hope. Well...sort of. Eventually it will get much colder, after all we're going into Winter. But in the short term, it's not likel...



Fire Watch Tuesday

10:00 PM Mon, Nov 05, 2007 |

The cold is what will affect all of us Tuesday, but it's interesting that we also have a fire watch in Southeast Missouri for the counties of St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve and Madison. I know, you're thinking...isn't it too cold for brush fires?

Strong and gusty winds help to fuel fires or force controlled fires get out of control. But these winds are blowing in the chilly air (high in the upper 40s Tuesday). Although chilly, this ai...



What To Expect This November

8:48 PM Thu, Nov 01, 2007 |

It's hard to believe November is already here. But the weather is starting to match the calendar now. I thought we could look ahead at the month of November by comparing the climate normals from today November 1st to what we typically have by November 30th.

Nov. 1st Normal High: 61 Low: 42

Nov. 30th Normal High: 47 Low: 31

It's interesting to note that the high by the end of this month is typically close to the wha...



Halloween Weather

7:57 PM Tue, Oct 30, 2007 |

So tonight on the 5'Oclock news Kent talked about how we can get just about any type of weather on Halloween. Many of you may remember 1993 with a trace of snow. Sure it wasn't a snow storm, but snow on Halloween? And then there's been years when Halloween has been in the 80s, even close to 90! The record high is 88 in 1968.

Here's some other interesting stats for Halloween:
Coldest High= 41 (1993)
Coldest Low= 26 (18...



National Weather Service Open House

3:20 PM Wed, Oct 24, 2007 |


Our friends at the National Weather Service are having an open house this Saturday!

It's from 9am to 3pm out at the National Weather Service offices located near Weldon Spring, MO in St. Charles County. In fact, I've posted a link below and the weather service has provided directions and detials about what you'll see when you visit.


>> Continue reading: National Weather Service Open House



Storm Survey

10:00 PM Fri, Oct 19, 2007 |

The National Weather Service Storm Survey team has been working hard lately. I spoke to the Weather Service today by phone and they had multiple crews out in the field. They were looking closely at the damage from the Paris, MO tornadoes from Wednesday night and also looking for possible confirmation of reported tornadoes in and around Bond, Co. Illinois.

As of Friday night there are no preliminary reports out on the unconfirmed torn...



Storm Threat Update

7:50 AM Wed, Oct 17, 2007 |

Well, the energetic storm system continues to bring a threat of storms to our area today through the overnight. Below is the Storm Prediction Center's severe risk for today through tomorrow morning.

There is a threat for all types of severe weather including hail, wind damage and tornadoes, from this afternoon on. For St. Louis, it appears that threat especially increases tonight through about 5 to 7am. That means there is a chance ...



Energetic Storm System Heading This Way

9:47 AM Tue, Oct 16, 2007 |

A storm system will drop into the High Plains Wednesday and help to push warm and moist air into the St. Louis area Wednesday afternoon. A few storms are possible across our area in the afternoon and evening. We may have a few strong to severe storms, especially in the evening for St. Louis, but the higher risk for severe weather during the day is in Western Missouri and Kansas, closer to the core of this storm system.

As that sto...



Rain Chances This Week

6:50 AM Mon, Oct 15, 2007 |

"Much Needed Rain" is a popular phrase meteorologists are using this week. We have a couple chances for showers and storms starting with today through tomorrow morning. Another chance arrives late Wednesday through Thursday morning.

But the reason we say "much needed" is because most of the area is in a drought. In fact, parts of our viewing area in Illinois are in a severe drought. Below is the latest drought monitor. If you wan...



Winter Outlook

7:12 AM Thu, Oct 11, 2007 |

It's fitting that on the day we have the coolest air since April we start looking ahead to the Winter Outlook. In the previous blog we posted a link for the average frost dates, but now let's talk about the climate outlook for December through February as the latest forecast from the Climate Prediction Center has just been released.

On a national level the forecast calls for good chances of a warmer than normal winter, but slightl...



A Week of Transition

7:44 AM Mon, Oct 08, 2007 |


This is going to be a week of transition, into not only "cooler" temperatures but down right chilly temperatures Thursday and Friday morning.

First though, a front approaching this afternoon will cause showers and some thunderstorms. This won't be drought busting rainfall, but some isolated heavy downpours can be expected. Some of those storm cells with heavy rain could produce a lot of lightning and gusty winds but windepsrea...



Storm Survey Update

3:46 PM Wed, Oct 03, 2007 |

Steve here, I have some preliminary results from the storm survey crews at the National Weather Service. I should emphasize that this is preliminary and not official, but the crews called in their initial results after surveying two areas where a tornado struck.

The first is in the town of Palmyra, MO about 130 miles North of St. Louis. Kent will be live in Palmyra tonight, inspecting some of the damage. We have reports of cars fli...



Update On Storms Tonight

8:04 AM Tue, Oct 02, 2007 |

Steve here in the weather center and I wanted to give you an update on the storm chances tonight, in particular the chance of severe weather. In yesterday's blog I mentioned that the greatest threat of severe weather was West of St. Louis. The Storm Prediction Center agrees and has shifted the "slight risk" of severe storms area just to our West. It does include part of the News 4 viewing area however, and I've posted the latest graphical f...



Storm Threat Tuesday Into Wednesday

8:21 AM Mon, Oct 01, 2007 |

Another warm up is in store Tuesday and possibly some strong to severe storms Tuesday into Wednesday morning. The Storm Prediction Center's severe weather risk for that time period is pasted below, and you'll see we are in the "slight risk" area. I do think we have a chance for severe storms in the area tomorrow, but I wanted to take a chance to let you know what I'm seeing in the computer models when it comes to the timing and the location o...



Blue Skies

11:45 AM Fri, Sep 28, 2007 |

Man those skies are blue today! I'm checking out the beautiful day through one of our skycams from the confines of my windowless storm center. And what's the deal with a weather guy not having windows in his office? Bryce, our web guy, has this great view of the Arch from his office and I've got a crummy skycam. Oh well, it is what it is.

Anyway, the clear skies today are caused in large part from a big area of high pressure (those ...



Chance Of Storms Today

8:31 AM Tue, Sep 25, 2007 |

Here's an update for you on the severe weather threat. Below is today and tonight's severe weather risk. This is a graphic made by the Storm Prediction Center, the same people who issue watches (warnings are issued by our local national weather service office).

Last night the slight risk area, outlined in green, included the Metro East and much of our viewing area in Illinois. Now the threat has been pushed farther to the Northeast....



Where's the Autumn Weather?

10:53 AM Mon, Sep 24, 2007 |

Autumn started Sunday morning, but our high temperature at Lambert Sunday hit a very summer-like 93. In fact, it was one degree away from the record high of 94 set back in 1891.

So, if it's officially Fall then when will the Fall-like temperatures arrive? Well, we do have a cold front that will usher in some cooler temperatures late this week. The front is expected to move through by Wednesday morning, giving us highs in the mid to ...



Autumnal Equinox Arrives Sunday

2:22 PM Fri, Sep 21, 2007 |

The Autumnal Equinox will occur this Sunday at 4:51 AM marking the beginning of Fall. Equionx means "Equal night" as the day and night are about the same, about 12 hours each.

An equinox occurs when the sun is directly above the equator, as you can see in the picture below. Throughout the summer the sun's most direct ray's hit the Northern Hemisphere, ranging between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 N). In fact, it's the ...



Tropical Rain Next Week

1:37 PM Thu, Sep 20, 2007 |

Kent and I have been watching something interesting in the medium range computer models. A disturbance near Florida will head for St. Louis, or at least close enough to our area to give us a rain chance by early next week.

Below is a map of the latest possible path of this disturbance. Each colored line represents a different model's forecast path of this disturbance. Right now it is not strong enough to be called a tropical depres...



Latest 90 Degree Day?

12:40 PM Tue, Sep 18, 2007 |

Hold on! Wait a second! What happened to that great Fall weather from this weekend?

That's what I was thinking, especially since I love the cooler Fall days. But We will be ranging from 85-90 at least through the weekend. All in all, those aren't horrible numbers. But I was wondering how late in the season we've had a 90 or even 100 degree day. So, I did some digging in the climate files for St. Louis and here's what I found:
...



Warm Days Ahead

4:59 PM Mon, Sep 17, 2007 |

If you've already taken a peek at my 5 day forecast you know that temperatures through the weekend are expected to be well above normal. Now take a look at the two maps I have posted below. The Climate Prediction Center's 6 to 10 and 8 to 14 day outlooks are remarkably similar. Each shows that there is a strong indication that temperatures east of the Continental Divide will, for the most part, remain well above normal into October.

>> Continue reading: Warm Days Ahead



Tropical Update

7:49 PM Thu, Sep 13, 2007 |

Well, we said in the blog last night that we didn't think Humberto would strengthen to a hurricane...and of course just to spite me, it did. Actually, that made Humberto the fastest intensifying hurricane nearest landfall. It strengthened from a tropical depression to a hurricane in a little over half a day while only 60 miles from the Texas coast. Also, Humberto was the first hurricane to hit the US since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Kent an...



Tropical Action

9:17 PM Wed, Sep 12, 2007 |

August, September and October are historically the busiest months for tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic. And not half way into September we now have our 8th named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Humberto formed today off the Texas coast. Humberto is not expected to become a hurricane because it will lose energy as it moves onshore over Eastern Texas and then moves into Western and Central Louisiana. Maximum sustained winds ...



Cool Air Coming

10:57 PM Sun, Sep 09, 2007 |

Steve here, and the latest forecast has some cool temperatures arriving by the weekend. A strong push of cold air should clip our area Saturday before temperatures rebound a bit.

But with a low in the low 50s Saturday morning, I wondered how long it's a been since we've been that cool? In fact, the last time it was that cool was May 19th. That's almost 4 months ago!

Highs should rebound into the low 70s, about 10 degrees bel...



Tornado Warnings

6:36 PM Fri, Sep 07, 2007 |

***Update to this blog, the National Weather Service did report a brief touchdown 4 miles East Northeast of Jerseyville, IL. From the weather service report this was seen by a trained spotter. I haven't seen any other reports on this as the damage seems limited to some trees in the areas. *************

From Thursday's three tornado warnings we have only 1 spotted tornadoes at this point. So, why did we spend so much time interruptin...



Much Needed Rain

4:25 PM Wed, Sep 05, 2007 |

Just as Kent's blog below describes, it's likely most of us will see some rain Thursday and Friday. And as I check out the latest drought monitor, it's much needed.

Below is a map I took from the US Drought Monitor web site, and I'll provide the link below as well. You'll see that the entire News4 viewing area is in a moderate drought (beige) and the Southern portion of our viewing area (both Missouri and Illinois) is in a severe dro...



Pop Up Storm Rips Roof Off

9:07 PM Wed, Aug 29, 2007 |

So I'm working on the forecast this afternoon, with one eye on the radar, and I see this red blip on the radar screen near St. Charles. Then our warning system goes off and that map with the warnings is already on the air, severe thunderstorm warning for Northern St. Louis County and St. Louis City. Our system really is that quick, warnings pop on the air immediately!

Anyway, I broke into commericals a couple of times to warn viewers...



Hot August

8:39 PM Tue, Aug 28, 2007 |

So I updated the numbers in our blog about this August possibly going into the record books as the hottest August on record. Those numbers in the blog below are accurate as of Tuesday.

But I took it one step further, and I calculated our forecast numbers for the rest of August into the equation.

If our forecast pans out, we should have an average monthly temperature of 84.5 for this August. That won't beat the record of 84.9...



Hottest August On Record?

4:38 PM Mon, Aug 27, 2007 |

This sizzling St. Louis summer may go down into the record books. While July was below normal for the average temperature, the month of August could very well turn out to be in the top 5 hottest on record in St. Louis.

As of Tuesday, the average temperature for the month of August was 85.0 according to the records from Lambert airport. The record hottest August in 1947 had an average temperature of 84.9. The average temperature is...



Heat Advisory & Urban Heat Island Effect

8:57 PM Mon, Aug 20, 2007 |

So you may have heard me talk about how there is a heat advisory out for ONLY St. Louis city Tuesday and Wednesday. Why is the advisory only for the city? It all has to do with the Urban Heat Island Effect.

Basically the city of St. Louis will be several degrees hotter than the outlying areas because it has a unique terrain. More specifically, the city is filled with paved streets, black top parking lots, tall brick buildings and n...



Perseid Meteor Shower

3:51 PM Sat, Aug 11, 2007 |

Steve here in the weather center, and I thought I'd take this opportunity to distract you from the heat by telling you that a great meteor shower will happen soon.

On Sunday night anytime after 9pm the show begins! However, the Perseid meteor shower should peak around 2am Monday morning with about 1 meteor every 5 minutes on average. Below is a skymap of where to look, and notice Mars is visible too. For more information, >> Continue reading: Perseid Meteor Shower



Heat Wave

8:17 PM Mon, Aug 06, 2007 |

We're under an excessive heat warning through at least Friday afternoon. But what exactly is an excessive heat warning and who issues it?

Well, the National Weather Service issues the excessive heat warning and they have very specific criteria to meet. For instance an excessive heat warning will only be issued when:
1) The heat index is expected to reach 115 or greater for three hours or more
OR
2) The heat index w...



What Is Low Level Ozone?

4:17 PM Tue, Jul 31, 2007 |

On the news tonight I mentioned that we're forecasting an air quality day that will reach levels unhealthy for people with sensiteve needs, and that specifically the 4Warn Aircast is low level ozone. But isn't ozone good? Aren't we trying to replace the ozone hole? Those are some good questions, let me get to the answers:

What is Low Level ozone?
Ozone (O3- chemically) is a gas. You can't see it, but if humans breathe too much...



Why Do We Sweat So Much In High Humidity?

1:18 PM Sat, Jul 28, 2007 |

This Saturday wasn't extremely hot, but it certainly was humid. If you found yourself dripping in sweat while working or exercising outdoors today, here's why;

When we sweat, the beads of water on our skin evaporate into the air. This evaporation creates a little pocket of cooler air near the skin where the bead of water has evaporated.

Imagine hundreds of beads of sweat evaporating! This creates a little layer of cooler ai...



A Needed Chance for Rain-Storms Likely Friday

4:29 PM Thu, Jul 26, 2007 |

A week ago Lambert airport recorded 2.12". Since then...notta, zilch, dry. And although it hasn't been excessively hot, it's been warm enough to suck the moisture out of the ground. When the air is warm, it encourages evaporation. So the moisture in the soil evaporates into the warm afternoon air to help form some puffy clouds perhaps, but not rain clouds lately.

Well, just as we get hotter and more humid, a cold front will pull in...



Why So Nice For July?

4:23 PM Sun, Jul 22, 2007 |

It's Steve here in the weather center, it's painful to come in to work on great July days like this. Everywhere I've been this weekend people remark about how nice the weather is. We expect, and often get, much hotter and humid days in July, so this is a nice reprieve...but why? And how much longer will it last?

Well, the reason for our comfortable weather is that the heat and humidity are being cut off to the West. In fact, you can...



3rd Warmest Spring On Record

4:29 PM Sun, Jun 17, 2007 |

This was the third warmest spring on record for Missouri and the fourth warmest for Illinois. Averaged out across the entire United States it was the fifth warmest Spring, so we aren't alone when it comes to the warmth. Spring is considered March through May for climate records, and below you can see the statewide ranks across the US.
03-05statewidetrank_pg.gif >> Continue reading: 3rd Warmest Spring On Record



Orange Air Quality Day

4:04 PM Tue, Jun 12, 2007 |

AQ_Forecast.jpeg

We're forecasting an orange air quality day for Wednesday, which means the low level ozone amounts will be high enough that adults and children sensitive to air quality will want to take caution.

The 4Warn weather center is where these forecasts originate. We input data from our own forecast like tempe...



Is It Summer Yet?

5:54 PM Sat, Jun 09, 2007 |


It's really starting to feel like Summer, but what many consider the official start of Summer isn't until June 21st. On that day the Summer Solstice occurs, and that's what most people mean when they say "the beginning of Summer". Whether it's offically summer or not, we have already seen our first 90 degree day. But on average St. Louis has around 35-40 90 degree days each year...but we knew this was just the beginning of the heat. ...



What Is A Weather Radio?

5:29 PM Tue, Jun 05, 2007 |

It's Steve here in the weather center...and with severe storms possible later this week I wondered how many of you know that the national weather service broadcasts weather information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? And if you purchase a special radio it will beep in the middle of the night to warn you of incoming severe weather. We usually refer to it as NOAA weather radio (NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the ...



Funnel Clouds and Landspouts. Land What????

9:45 PM Fri, May 04, 2007 |

Steve here in the weather center, and it was an interesting night as funnel clouds and some tornadoes starting popping up along a line of showers just East of St. Louis.

funnel2.bmp

Now these were weak tornadoes and unexpected because these tornadoes produced such a weak and low level rotation, it was difficult to detect o...



More Spring Like The Next 2 Weeks

12:49 PM Mon, Apr 16, 2007 |

Steve here in the weather center, and I'm sitting here wondering if there is yet another cool down on deck for us? Or can I count on warmer planting and grilling weather?

Well, the next 2 weeks look a lot closer to normal, which is upper 60s to near 70. This week we will experience a cool down Wednesday and Thursday, but then warm back up for the weekend. This cool down should bring us temperatures near 60, much warmer than our last...



April Snow?

8:22 AM Fri, Apr 13, 2007 |


So the buzz around town is that we could see some April snow. Do April snow showers bring May flowers? I don't know, and I digress.

April snow is not unheard of in St. Louis, in fact the last time we had snow in April was April 8th, 2003 and it was a trace of snow. The latest we've ever seen snow was May 2nd 1929 with a 4" dumping!

Right now the forecast just calls for snow to mix in with some rain Saturday morning,...



Record Cold Likely

10:38 AM Fri, Apr 06, 2007 |

We have a chance to set new record low temperatures for the date of April 7th. We're expecting the temperatures to dip down to 18 to 23 degrees across the area. In St. Louis, the record is 26 set in 1939. As of Friday morning my forecast calls for the low to drop to 22 degrees, and thus set a new record. If the clouds clear out, it could get even colder.

Here's the record low for some cities across the area:
St. Louis= 26 <...



Severe Weather Chance On Tuesday

8:36 AM Mon, Apr 02, 2007 |

day2otlk_0800.gif

Steve here in the weather center, and above is a graphic showing that the storm prediction center has our area outlined on Tuesday with a slight risk of severe storms. A cold front will move in from the Northwest, and this front brings much colder air with it for the middle and end of the week. As it plows ...



Cardinals Home Opener Forecast- Part Deux

3:57 PM Wed, Mar 28, 2007 |

Opening Night is Sunday April 1st: Gametime 7:05 PM vs. The Mets

It's Steve here in the weather center, and I wanted to update all of you who were interested in the Cardinals home opener forecast I provided last week. Things have changed...sort of.

The general pattern I discussed is amazingly holding true. The storms hit on Saturday and move out allowing us to enjoy a dry Sunday. The big change is that the cool air may not...



Opening Day Forecast

1:53 PM Fri, Mar 23, 2007 |

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It's Steve here, and yeah I know it's 9 days away and the forecast will probably change, but I thought I'd take a stab at it anyway. The Cards open up the season at home against the Mets at 7:05 on Sunday April 1st. So what will the weather be like?

Well when we're this far away from an event, I like to look at the...



Why Is The Equinox Not Equal?

6:38 PM Mon, Mar 19, 2007 |

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It's Steve in the weather center, and we finally start Spring on March 20th at 7:07 pm, it's the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox. The equinox is supposed to mean "Equal Night", because day and night are equal in length all across the globe. But some astute people will bring up the fact that if day and night are equal, the...



Allergy Problems Already?

5:34 PM Fri, Mar 16, 2007 |

It's Steve in the weather center, and I'm an allergy sufferer...and I've been suffering. It's not as bad as Summer and Fall, but I've noticed the itchy eyes and sneezes coming out of nowhere.

It's not unusual if you suffer too since trees pollenate in early Spring. Elm, Cedar/Juniper and Maple are the largest contributor to the allergy problems pushing the pollen index into the "high range".

We have a tool for you right her...



Tornado Outbreak 1 Year Ago

9:20 AM Mon, Mar 12, 2007 |

We had several tornado outbreaks last year in the St. Louis area, in fact the St. Louis weather service office had the most severe weather in the country last year. The first outbreak of the season occurred on March 12th-13th 2006. All in all, there were 48 tornadoes in Missouri and Illinois combined, and 7 fatalities all in Missouri. Here's a map of the tornadoes and their paths.
mapmarch1106.gif >> Continue reading: Tornado Outbreak 1 Year Ago



Is Arctic Cold Behind Us Now?

3:57 PM Wed, Mar 07, 2007 |

A co-worker just asked me if we're done dealing with those cold days where the high temperature is in the 20s or 30s. I told her it's likely that those days are over and I don't see any cold Arctic air in our near future. Well Kent was just checking the Climate Prediction Center for a longer range outlook, and they seem to agree.
814temp.new.gif >> Continue reading: Is Arctic Cold Behind Us Now?



Lunar Eclipse Saturday March 3rd

5:39 PM Fri, Mar 02, 2007 |


If you like astronomy, you may like to hear this. At 3:30 PM Saturday, the moon will begin it's total eclipse as it enters into the earth's shadow. This eclipse will peak aroud 5:21 and end around 7:11 PM our time. Unfortunately the forecast calls for lots of low clouds tomorrow. There should be some clearing late in the evening, and in the event that the clearing happens earlier perhaps you can catch the tail end of this lunar eclip...



Out With The Storms, In With The Wind

12:17 PM Thu, Mar 01, 2007 |

Well I hope everyone made it through this round of severe storms with no major damage to their homes or cars. By the way, if you didn't already know this, you can get live updates from the 4Warn weather team on KMOV.com when we have severe storms in the area. Matt and I were jumping back and forth from updating viewers on Channel 4 and much more detailed and thus lengthy updates on KMOV.com.

But now, our morning storms are moving out...



6:03 PM Tue, Feb 27, 2007 |

Another storm system will whip through the Midwest bringing a quick rise in temperatures here in the bi-state, along with some storms, and then a quick drop in temperatures along with some wind. Sounds a lot like last weekends storms right? Well, this is very similar, but we don't expect nearly as much rain, there just isn't as much moisture with this system.

However, there is a threat of severe storms. In fact here is the latest thr...



Storms This Weekend

8:23 PM Fri, Feb 23, 2007 |

Well, it's Friday evening and Kent and I have been pouring over the weather maps as we look ahead to a chance of thunderstorms this Saturday. Both Kent and I agree we have a good chance for rain in the morning and then thunderstorms are expected in the afternoon to mid-evening. Although we can't rule out a severe storm, severe weather appears unlikely for our viewing area.

The Storm Prediction Center still has our area in a slight r...



Drought Is Over & More Rain Coming

9:24 PM Thu, Feb 22, 2007 |


Because of all the snow and ice we've had this winter, the Missouri drought assessment (click here for map) shows the News 4 viewing area currently is not in a drought.

According to St. Louis Lambert, our snowfall for the season is 12.9". But normal snowfall for the season up to this point is 18". This means we're about 5" below average.

Why does...



Has Spring Sprung?

8:51 PM Tue, Feb 20, 2007 |

It sure feels like we've put the cold winter weather behind us...or have we? The next several days will all be warm, that's the good news. But a potent Spring-Like storm rolls in on Saturday with a chance for heavy rain and thunderstorms. Perhaps even a few isolated severe storms later in the day and night Saturday. However, it will become colder on Sunday, in fact the going forecast calls for temperatures to be warmer in the morning then ...



Update

8:34 PM Fri, Feb 09, 2007 |

Are you craving more weather info? Is that why you're here at our blog? Or just really bored and surfing the net for something interesting. Either way, we're here to help. Here's an update on the next storm system and in particular what to expect for the Monday morning commute (I know, I know, the last thing you want to think about on the weekend is going back to work).

Well, just as Matt's earlier post says, meteorologists pour over...



Another Weekend Storm?

5:13 PM Wed, Jan 17, 2007 |


It's Steve here in the weather center, and I'm looking at the newest forecast models which bring another storm in this weekend. The big difference is that this round looks to be primarily snow and not ice. The update today is that some light snow could fly as early as Saturday night. Snow may accumulate through Sunday and the early forecast totals put us at multiple inches. I know "inches" is vague, but it's rather early to start ma...



What Is Freezing Rain?

5:27 PM Thu, Jan 11, 2007 |

It's Steve here, and I know we've been talking more about chances for periods of freezing rain this weekend, so I thought I'd take a minute to go into more detail about how freezing rain and ice storms form.

Freezing rain is rain that freezes on contact once it hits the ground. What happens is cold below freezing air moves in close to the surface. However, aloft it's still warm and above freezing. As the rain drops fall from that wa...



Weekend Wather- Rain or Snow?

6:02 PM Tue, Jan 09, 2007 |

Well, a lot of people are already talking about the nasty weather for the weekend. It's all coming from a storm system that will move across the Rockies and then slowly drift across the Midwest late this week and this weekend. This slow movement of the front will allow several disturbances to ride into the bi-state producing several rounds of rain. Some forecast models indicate the rain could be heavy Friday into Saturday.

But it's...