Missouri Climate Center

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 30.46% of Missouri is "abnormally dry", up from 24.1% a week ago. Meanwhile, 4.32% of the state remains in extreme drought status. A Drought Alert remains in effect until Sept. 1. Report drought conditions at ow.ly/v9gV50UHBl5.

This week's precip forecast by @NOAA's @NWSWPC Heaviest precip likely in the Lower Miss and S. Plains, especially TX. Parts of the Midwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic could also see inches. Snow/rain in the interior West. Little to no precip for the rest of the West. @NWS

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 24.10% of Missouri is "abnormally dry", up from 18.16% a week ago. Meanwhile, 4.32% of the state remains in extreme drought status. A Drought Alert remains in effect until Sept. 1. Report drought conditions at ow.ly/v9gV50UHBl5.

#DroughtMonitor 5/12: Drought worsened in large parts of the Northwest and Plains. Also the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Improvements in AZ, CO, and the Southeast. Mixed for WY, S. Plains, South, Northeast. #Drought2026’s Footprint: 51.3% of the USA drought.gov @NOAA

Did April showers bring May flowers? 🌷 A warm April across the U.S. was marked by wet conditions in the north and persistent drought in the SE. We have the April U.S. temperature and precipitation report ready for you. Learn more from @NOAA NCEI: bit.ly/USClimate202604

**CORRECTION** May 2026 average has been updated to reflect corrected high for May 4th.

The month of April is in the books and it was another warm one, but largely wet. Given the preceding dryness/drought, a wet April was much needed. #stlwx #mowx #ilwx #midmowx

The Climate Observer Spring Newsletter is out now! We discuss the winter quarterly climate recap, including Chicago's recordbreaking winter tornadoes. Check it out ➡️ mailimages.purdue.edu/vo/?FileID=ff5…

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 23.84% of Missouri is "abnormally dry", down from 39.07% a week ago. Meanwhile, 5.16% of the state is in extreme drought status. A Drought Alert remains in effect until Sept. 1. Report drought conditions at ow.ly/v9gV50UHBl5.

📃Did you know we provide comprehensive monthly climate reports summarizing Midwestern weather phenomena? Well, now you do! Monthly Sumamries ➡️mrcc.purdue.edu/climatesummari…

💦Mixed bag for Midwestern drought this week ⬇️Dry conditions decreased across parts of IA, southern MN, IL and northern MO ⬆️Drought coverage increased across southern MO and KY ⏹️Drought persisted, unchanged, across northern MN Drought Monitor ➡️droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 43.38% of Missouri is "abnormally dry", down from 78.51% a week ago. Meanwhile, just under .75% of the state is in extreme drought status. A Drought Alert is in effect until Sept. 1. Report drought conditions at ow.ly/v9gV50UHBl5.

With March officially in the rearview mirror, we can now say that it was one for the record books! 15 high temperature records fell at our long-term climate sites in the region, with Quincy, IL setting the most of the three sites (6 records).

You may be wondering: when is my garden safe from that last freeze? For much of the region, it's not until into April. Check your city here ➡️mrcc.purdue.edu/freeze/freezed…

Today was the warmest March day on record. At St Louis, 5 of the Top 10 warmest March days have occurred this year. At Columbia and Quincy, 3 of the Top 10 warmest have been this year.

Southwesterly winds & low humidity will lead to Elevated Fire Danger along/south of I-70 & along/west of the Mississippi River this afternoon. With potentially erratic fire behavior, it is best to leave burning to the professionals today.

🎶Nelly said it best! Summery heat is getting started early in the Midwest! Last week, several observing locations with records going back to the late 1800s saw their hottest March temperatures ever 🔥

STL has broken our daily high record with a high of 90°! This breaks the old record of 88° (1907). This is the 2nd highest temperature in STL in March on record. This is the 2nd time ever that we've seen both 90° (today) and 15° (3/17) in March, with the first being in 1874.

The footprint of historic March heat expanded yesterday—intensifying across the Plains while extending as far east as Tennessee. Shown are select cities where March high temperature records were tied or broken last week.

Hot stat: Kansas City has reach 93°F this afternoon. Prior to today the earliest day on record that Kansas City hit 93°F was April 29th of 1910. In fact, today would've been tied for the 2nd warmest April day on record (for any date) only behind 4/29/1910 when it reached 95°F