In the century just ended, Missouri racked up some amazing record-setting weather.
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In this century, Missouri racked up some amazing record-setting weather, including one world-record rainfall, according to climatologists at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Delving into weather records since 1900, three members of the MU Atmospheric Science Department have listed interesting records to talk about, decade by decade. They include tornadoes, droughts, cold spells, and heat waves.
Most Missourians remember the decade of the ’90s for the record-setting floods on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers in 1993 and 1995. But, they might not know that the largest monthly precipitation, 25.71 inches, fell in Maryville, in July 1993. The wettest month of the century was September 1993, with a state average precipitation of 11.72. That helped make 1993 the wettest year of the century.
While the early part of this decade was wet, the year ends dry, ranking the 13th driest fall on record.
Those are just starters in 10 decades of gee whiz weather statistics compiled by Adnan Akyz, Missouri State Climatologist; Patrick Guinan, Extension Associate; and Wayne L. Decker, Professor Emeritus.
“It’s something to talk about,” says Guinan, who compiles monthly weather summaries for farmers in the Extension Commercial Agriculture program.
That world record rainfall was for 12 inches that fell in just 42 minutes on June 22, 1947 in Holt, just north of St. Joseph.
Warsaw, in Benton County, holds two Missouri state records for the 20th Century. On Feb. 13, 1905, the coldest temperature of -40 degrees F. was recorded there. Almost a half-century later, the temperature hit a state record high for the century at 118 degrees F. on July 14, 1954. That record was also tied at Union in Franklin County the same day.
The years 1953 to 1957 were hot and dry throughout the state, with 1953 being the driest of the century.
The first decade, starting in 1900, was noted for heat and drought. November 1904 went into the books as the driest month of the century, still unbeaten with less than a quarter of inch of precipitation.
While the 1920s were noted for killer tornadoes, more Missourians will remember the 1930s for the heat and drought that caused the Dust Bowl.
Here’s the tally, decade by decade, from the state climate records:
1900-1909:
Summer heat and drought of 1901.
Driest month of century: November, 1904.
State average precipitation: 0.22″
Coldest temperature of the century: -40;February 13, 1905. Warsaw.
1910-1919:
Largest daily temperature range for the century:
November 11, 1911. Many locations around the state recorded
max temps. in the low 80s and min temps. in the low teens
within a 12-hour period after a strong cold front moved
through. Summer heat of 1913.
Largest one-day tornado outbreak of the century:
14 tornadoes on May 30, 1917.
1920-1929:
Ice Storm on December 16-19, 1924 covered three-fourths of
Missouri with ice 1 to 6 inches thick.
Tri-State Tornado in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana killed 695
people on March 18, 1925. Poplar Bluff, Tornado, May 9, 1927,
killed 98.
St. Louis Tornado, September 29, 1927, killed 79.
1930-1939:
Dust Bowl of the 30’s
Summer heat and drought of 1934.
Hottest month of century: July, 1934. State average temperature:
86.1F.
Hottest summer of century: 1934. State average temperature: 81.9F.
Summer heat and drought of 1936.
Driest summer of century: 1936. State average rainfall: 3.7
inches.
1940-1949:
Coldest month of century: January, 1940. Stage average
temperature: 15.3F.
World record rainfall: 12 inches in 42 minutes. June 22, 1947:
Holt, Holt Co.
1950-1959:
Flood of 1951: Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
Droughts during 1953-57.
Summer heat and drought of 1953.
Driest year of the century: 1953. State average precipitation:
25.35 inches.
Summer heat and drought of 1954.
Hottest temperature of the century: 118F.
July 14, 1954. Warsaw, Benton County. and Union, Franklin
County.
Ruskin Heights tornado: May 20, 1957 with 44 deaths.
Highest annual precipitation for the century: 92.77 inches in
1957. Portageville.
1960-1969:
Coldest and Snowiest March of the century: 1960. Some parts of
northern Missouri had 3 feet of snow on the ground.
1970-1979:
Flood of 1973: Mississippi River.
Three consecutive frigid winters beginning the winter of 1976-77.
Kansas City flash flood: September 12-13,1977 with 25 deaths.
Coldest winter of the century: 1978-79.
State average temperature: 24.1F.
1980-1989:
Summer heat and drought of 1980.
Coldest December of century: 1983. Stage average temperature:
18.4F.
Flood of 1986: Missouri River.
Summer drought of 1988.
Lowest annual precipitation for the century: 14.97 inches in
1988 at La Belle, Lewis County.
1990-1999:
Flood of 1993: Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
Highest monthly precipitation of the century: July, 1993.
Maryville, Nodaway County: 25.71 inches.
Wettest month of the century: September, 1993. State average
rainfall: 11.72 inches.
Wettest year of the century: 1993. State average precipitation:
56.90 inches.
Flood of 1995: Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
Mild winters: Seven out of 10 winters during the 1990s have been
at or above normal temperatures compared to the 100-year
temperature normals.
Dry Autumn of 1999 ranks as the 13th driest of the century for
the state.