Missouri Climate Center

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

***All-Time Record***At 4:05pm this afternoon, KC has reached 90 degrees which is the record for earliest 90 degree day in KC history (going back to 1888) breaking the old record which was 91 degrees set on 3/21/1907! #RecordBreakingKC

Never, never, never leave children, disabled or elderly adults, or pets in parked, unattended vehicles! Studies have shown that the temperature inside a parked vehicle can rapidly rise to dangerous levels for people and pets. Leaving the windows slightly open does not significantly decrease the heating rate. The effects can be more severe on children because their bodies have not developed the ability to efficiently regulate internal temperature. weather.gov/safety/heat-ch…

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 77.31% of Missouri is "abnormally dry", down from 94.59% last week. Meanwhile, less than 1/2% of the state is in extreme drought status. A Drought Alert is in effect until April 1. Report local drought conditions at ow.ly/v9gV50UHBl5.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 94.59% of Missouri is "abnormally dry", down from 97.12% a week ago. Meanwhile, just under 2% of the state is in extreme drought status. A Drought Alert is in effect until April 1. Report local drought conditions at ow.ly/v9gV50UHBl5.

⬇️🌪️ Do you know the difference? ⛈️

FEBRUARY UPDATE: Much of the U.S. was exceptionally warm and dry in February while the chilly Northeast was buried in snow. Check our Monthly U.S. Temperature and Precipitation Analysis to learn more. ▶️ bit.ly/USClimate202602

Did you know that a 3-inch hailstone can fall to the ground as fast as 107 mph? The largest hailstone on record in the US measured 8 inches in diameter! Find shelter, stay indoors, and stay away from windows when severe weather strikes. weather.gov/safety/thunder…

For day three of Severe Weather Preparedness week, we’re taking a look at tornado safety. It’s important to know the difference between a Tornado Watch, Warning, and Emergency. Make sure to read these definitions so that you can be better prepared as we head into the Spring!

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 97.12% of Missouri is "abnormally dry", up from 94.9% a week ago. Meanwhile, just over 2.5% of the state is in extreme drought status. A Drought Alert is in effect until April 1. Report local drought conditions at ow.ly/v9gV50UHBl5.

A first look at the percent of normal snowfall for the Midwest for meteorological winter reveals: ⬇️ Below normal snowflal for much of MN, IA, northern IL, and northern MO ⬆️Above normal snowfall for parts of Michigan's UP, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, and northern KY

Severe Weather Preparedness Week for Missouri and Kansas begins Monday, March 2nd! Make sure to follow along March 2 to 6, 2026 to learn more about being prepared this Spring! Find additional info at: weather.gov/sgf/severeweat… #mowx #kswx

#DroughtMonitor 2/24: Drought worsened in every state in the Plains (except ND). Also scattered parts of the Midwest, South/Southeast, and West. Improvements in the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes regions. #Drought2026’s Footprint: 42.8% of USA drought.gov @NOAA

***Record*** Kansas City broke the record high for the date this hour (3PM) when we reached 74. The record was 73 set in 2024, 2016, and 1932.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 92.45% of Missouri is "abnormally dry", which is unchanged from a week ago. Meanwhile, 2.25% of the state is in extreme drought status. A Drought Alert is in effect until April 1. Report local drought conditions at ow.ly/v9gV50UHBl5.