Significant Weather Events of the Century for Missouri

1901: Heat and Drought. 2nd driest year on record: State average precipitation.: 25.86”

1904: November: Driest month on record for Missouri: State average precipitation: 0.22”

1905:February 13. Coldest temperature ever recorded for Missouri: -40° in Warsaw.


1911: November 11. Extreme diurnal temperature range. Record breaking diurnal temperature range was observed accross the state with a fast moving cold front. 50° of temperature fall over 3 hours and 65-70° of temperature fall over 18 to 24 hours were observed.

1913: Summer Heat

1924: Ice Storm

The following was excerpted from the 1924 Climatological Data Annual Summary: A rain, sleet, and snow storm prevailed from the 16 to the 19th. Fully three-fourths of the state was covered by a solid sheet of ice the last half of the month.For severity and duration, and resulting damage and loss there is no other storm period comparable with it in Missouri since 1883.

1925: March 18. Tri-State Tornado.Touched down 3 miles northwest of Ellington, MO in Reynolds Co. and stayed on the ground for 3 ½ hours traveling 219 miles through southern Illinois and into Indiana. 695 people were killed (9 in Missouri) with 2027 injuries.

1927: Tornadoes. May 9, Poplar Bluff tornado. Worst tornado to strike Missouri this century with 93 deaths. The F4 tornado took 3 minutes to pass through the city killing 83 people in Poplar Bluff alone. Slightly over $2 million damage. Also, September 29, 1927: St. Louis tornado, caused 72 deaths and property losses of $22 million.This was the most disastrous tornadic year on record when 176 persons lost their lives in Missouri.

1930’s-40’s: Dust Bowl Years of the 1930’s and early 1940’s: Heat and Drought

In Particular: 1930, 1931, 1934 1936, 1940, 1941 for drought and 1934 and 1936 for summer heat and drought

1934: July. Hottest month on record for state: Avg. temp. 86.1°; Hottest Summer on record for state: Average temperature: 81.9°

1936:Driest summer for the state: Average total precipitation for Jun, Jul, Aug.: 3.78”

1938: March Tornado Outbreak. 13 tornadoes reported including the 0.5-mile wide F4 Butler County Tornado.

1940:January. Coldest month for the state: Avg. temp: 15.3°

1947: June 22. World record rainfall: Holt, 12” of rain in 42 minutes.

1950’s: Drought Years of the 1950’s: Heat and Drought

In Particular: 1953-57 for drought and 1953 and 1954 for summer heat and drought. This was a drier period than the 1930’s and early 1940’s.

1951: Ice storms crippled the entire states' transportation system on Christmas Eve.

Flood on Missouri River in June and July, on Mississippi River in April, May and July caused more than $0.25 Billion damage in Missouri alone.
1953: Driest year on record. State average precipitation: 25.35”

1954: July 14: Hottest temperature ever recorded for Missouri: 118° in Warsaw and Union.

1957: Highest annual precipitation total for Missouri: Portageville, 92.77”

1960: March. Coldest March on record for state. Several monthly snowfall records established. Some parts of northern Missouri had as much as 3 feet of snow on the ground.

1967: The Midwest Tornado Outbreak. 45 tornadoes reported including 13 tornadoes in Missouri.

1970’s: Three consecutive frigid winters beginning the winter of 1976-77 gripped Missouri. Some climatologists speculated we were slipping into a miniature ice age.
1973: Flood on Mississippi River.
1976-77: Beginning of the 3 cosecutive frigid winters

1977: Sept. 12-13: Flash flood in Kansas City, MO; 25 deaths, $90 million damage.

1978-1979: The coldest winter on record. State average winter temperature: 24.1°
1980: Summer Heat Wave
1983:December. Coldest December for state.

1986: Flood on Missouri River
1988: Summer Drought. Century's lowest annual precipitation for Missouri: La Belle: 14.97”

1990: Mild winters of 90s: 10 out of 12 winters during the 90s have been warmer than 100 year temperature normals.

1993:July: Highest monthly precipitation for Missouri: Maryville, 25.71”;

September: Wettest month on record for Missouri: state average precipitation: 11.72”.

Flood of ’93: Missouri and Mississippi River flood records set everywhere between St. Joseph and St. Charles and Gregory Landing and Cape Girardeau.

1995: January. Winter storm.

1999: Dry Autumn. 60% of the stations that has a record of 100 years fell within the top 10 driest autumn in Missouri.


 
 

The Century's Statistics
Warmest Temperature 118°. July 14, 1954 in Warsaw and Union
Coldest Temperature -40°. February 13, 1905 in Warsaw
Driest Year 1953. State average total precipitation: 25.53"
Wettest Year 1993. State average total precipitation: 56.90"
Warmest Summer 1934. State average temperature: 81.9°
Coldest Winter 1978-79. State averahe temperature: 24.1°
World Record Rainfall intensity: 12" in 42 minutes in Holt