Weather

The First Weekend of Spring in St. Louis Will Be Ruined By Snow

Spring is officially here! And with it comes forecasts of five to eight inches of snow in St. Louis. So instead of giving you Daily RFT's planned ode to spring in St. Louis, we direct you you dear readers to our 20 Reasons to Love Winter in St. Louis, because apparently Mother Nature is not ready ... More >>

Snow Storm: Top Tweets From Missourians Who Think Everyone Is Overreacting

Schools are closed, City Hall is dark, flights are cancelled -- and there don't seem to be flurries yet this morning. Is this going to be legit? We take weather predictions quite seriously here in Missouri and inaccurate forecasts make people very, very upset. For your amusement, we've collected ... More >>

But Wait -- How Does Hurricane Sandy Affect Us?

In case you've been living under the proverbial rock, you have likely heard that Hurricane Sandy, also known as Frankenstorm, is bearing down on the East Coast, bringing with her 90-mile-per-hour winds, twelve-foot water surges and snow. Flights have been cancelled. Everybody is hunkering down (exce ... More >>

Weekly Drought Report: IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME

Would you look at that map over there? Look at the hotness -- or lack thereof. After weeks of that map's ever-increasing redness, the remnants of Hurricane Isaac blew through Missouri last weekend and dumped a couple of much-needed inches of rain on us. The result? For the first time in a long time, ... More >>

Hurricane Isaac: Forget Louisiana, It's Great for Missouri!

Hurricane Isaac, the storm no Republican could stop, blew across the Gulf and hit southeast Louisiana on Tuesday. By Wednesday afternoon, the winds had slowed to a mere 70 miles per hour, which prompted the National Weather Service to downgrade it to tropical storm status. Nonetheless, storm water h ... More >>

Your Weekly Drought Report: How Has Missouri Not Turned to Dust?

Stop me if you've heard this one before: The U.S. Drought Monitor releases its weekly report on drought conditions in America; a map is included in the report; Missouri looks like a fire-withered slice of pepperoni on that map.Yes, drought conditions have worsened. Although we experienced a marginal ... More >>

Weekly Drought Report, August 9: It's Worse

The U.S. Drought Monitor has released its weekly report, and I don't think any of us should be surprised that conditions have worsened. Missouri's numbers look absolutely terrible. 100 percent of the state is gripped by severe drought (D2-D4 ranking). 94.56 percent of the state is in the D3-D4 categ ... More >>

New Drought Conditions Report is a Catalog of Bad News

The U.S. Drought Monitor released a new report today, and the news continues to worsen for Missouri, and the rest of the Midwest. Missouri has been a certified agricultural disaster area for weeks now -- how much worse can it get?Well, in last week's report 68.8 percent of the state was categorized ... More >>

Latest Drought Update: Missouri's Burned Up

The U.S. Drought Monitor has posted its latest information on the worsening, uh, drought conditions, and Missouri is wracked. Just look at that map -- it's bad.If you're more of a facts 'n' figures person than a visual one, brace yourself for some grim statistics. 99 percent of the top soil in Misso ... More >>

Hey, Remember that Storm that Cooled Everything Off Sunday Night?

Remember when it finally rained this past Sunday night, and our killer heat wave turned tail and ran? Well, this weekend is supposed to be the reverse of that, with temperatures steadily creeping back into the high 90s.At least we'll always have the Sunday summer storm, thanks to Youtube user "Dutch ... More >>

Let's Twist Again, Vicariously

2011: St. Louis' 4th Warmest Year on Record

​If you thought last year seemed a bit hotter than normal, guess what? You were right! According to the National Weather Service, last year's average temperature of 58.7 degrees was tied for fourth as the warmest year on record. The summer months of June, July and August were also the fourth-warme ... More >>

Judgment Awarded Against Suspect Charity Aiding Joplin Tornado

Photo: Albert SamahaThe Joplin tornado leveled the town and killed more than 160 people.​Here's an update to a story we originally reported on back in July. Yesterday, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced that his office had received a consent judgment against Puerto Rico-based charity ... More >>

Enjoy Today, Heat Cranks Up Again Tuesday

​We here at Daily RFT were a bit confused this morning when we heard that that National Weather Service had issued an excessive heat warning for St. Louis. Compared to the last week or so, the weather this morning is absolutely delightful, with scant humidity and temps still in the 70s at 9 a.m.Al ... More >>

Missouri Sues Dubious Charities Collecting Money for Joplin

crowdrise.com/JoplinMissouriTornadoAlivio Foundation has raised more than $9,700 online for Joplin, but where is the money?​Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced today that he's filed suit accusing two alleged charities of defrauding donors who thought they were helping victims of the J ... More >>

It's Effing Hot in St. Louis, National Weather Service Confirms

The thermometer today could reach into the triple digits for the first time this year, leading the National Weather Service to place St. Louis under an extreme heat warning through Tuesday evening. crh.noaa.gov​

June Rainfall Could Triple St. Louis Average for Month

Area rain gauges runneth over in June.​Surprise! It's raining -- again. The National Weather Service warns that St. Louis is likely to see strong thunderstorms mixed with heavy rains throughout the day and into the evening. Today's precipitation could help triple the region's normal rainfall for J ... More >>

Documentary Will Feature Joplin Globe's Tornado Coverage

​OK, so we get that it's annoying when journalists stroke each other within their own little media bubble, but permit us one moment of congratulatory naval-gazing. Today's Post-Dispatch ran a guest editorial written by editors at The (Washington) Missourian, singing the praises of Joplin's l ... More >>

Dine Out at These Local Restaurants -- Help Joplin [Updated]

Sweet TomatoesSalad bar Sweet Tomatoes is just one local eatery donating to the Joplin tornado victims. ​Update: Another restaurant is the latest in the string of eateries to donate to the Joplin relief effort. This time, area Culver's (4140 Rusty Road, South St. Louis County; 314-845-0964 or ... More >>

Jam for Joplin Concert to Benefit Tornado Survivors is Tonight

​In the two-and-a-half weeks since a massive tornado leveled the town of Joplin, Missouri and left over 140 people dead and scores more injured and homeless, the enormity of the event is still staggering. People across the state and beyond have banded together to help survivors with food, clot ... More >>

Joplin Tornado: 600 Animals Still in Limbo

Toto's not the only dog whose life was upended by a tornado -- rescue workers in Joplin have helped 900 animals.​You can see their faces on the web site for the Joplin Humane Society: eager, sad, hopeful.They are the animals of Joplin, Missouri, displaced by the tornado that tore through town two ... More >>

Joplin Tornado Relative to St. Louis (Map)

Struggling to get a sense of the size of the Joplin tornado? Look no further. Below is a map showing the twister's path relative to St. Louis. ​As you can see, the path begins at Lindbergh Boulevard and travels east though Ladue, Clayton, Forest Park and the Central West End before ending at the r ... More >>

Final Death Tally From Joplin Tornado: 134

Mike MezuelThe tornado that tore through Joplin on May 22 killed 134 people.​It's official.There are no more residents of Joplin, Missouri, on the missing person's list. There are no human remains that haven't been accounted for. The final number of fatalities, attributed to the tornado that tore ... More >>

Calculating the St. Louis Heat Index

Tornado Alarms Got You Down? Move to Corvallis, Washington

The Ingalls would have been better off staying in Wisconsin. And why, oh why oh, did we ever leave Ohio?​With all the flooding downstate, and the tornadoes that destroyed one wing of Lambert and almost all of the city Joplin, and the golf-ball-sized hail that pummeled parts of St. Louis yesterday, ... More >>

Tornado in Joplin, Missouri, Kills at Least 89

Not the actual tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, yesterday afternoon -- but pretty scary, too.​So the world didn't end on Saturday. But residents of Joplin, Missouri, could have been forgiven for wondering yesterday if the apocalypse was merely a day late. A tornado ripped through the town in ... More >>

The "Tornado Alley" Menu: Terrible Timing or Terrible Taste

Courtesy Erin K. Thompson, Seattle Weekly​Mike Seely, former RFT staff writer and now editor of our sister paper Seattle Weekly, passes along this item from the Emerald City: 5 Spot, a restaurant that adopts the cuisine of a different region every few months, is currently featuring the foods of... ... More >>

Delta Flight Skids in Snow Saturday; Plane Carried Kit Bond and Adam Wainwright

The spring storm that dropped more than four inches of snow Saturday at St. Louis Lambert Field is being blamed for a frightful landing that day. A Delta flight from Atlanta carrying 142 passengers touched down around 5:30 p.m. and briefly skidded off the runway before the pilot was able to correct ... More >>

Mother Nature Loves the Irish More Than the French

When Irish hearts are happy all the world seems bright and gay, And When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, sure, they steal your heart away.​Could it be that Mother Nature (or perhaps even God!) loves the Irish more than the French? That's the message one could get while staring at the heavens this ... More >>

Snow!? Haven't We Seen Enough of This Sh@# Already?

​As of 7 a.m. it's more like a mini-blizzard outside the windows of the Daily RFT "Storm Center." The white stuff is coming down fast, and the National Weather Service predicts we could get 2 to 4 inches of snow by noon before the precipitation turns to rain.  Lovely. Here's the good news, th ... More >>

Let's Twist Again, Vicariously

Boston Mayor of 1940s Offers Solution to St. Louis' Ice Problem

Boston's mayor appealed for M.I.T. engineers to develop flame throwers to help save the city from record snowfall.​Francis Slay is back in town. The St. Louis mayor arrived home Wednesday via Amtrak after his flight from California was canceled Monday due to Midwest snow storms.  One of the m ... More >>

St. Louis Region Hit with Snow; Some Areas Receive a Foot of White Stuff

Schools are canceled, and the flakes are still coming down. Here are the most recent snowfall totals from the National Weather Service:​According to the weather service, St. Louis picked up seven inches of snow at Forest Park. In my sliver of south-central St. Louis, I'm seeing about five inches ( ... More >>

Nine Confirmed Tornadoes Touch Down Near St. Louis New Year's Eve

crh.noaa.gov​The National Weather Service has confirmed that nine twisters struck ground in and around St. Louis around mid-day December 31. The tornadoes destroyed several homes in Robertsville and Sunset Hills. In St. Louis an EF-1 twister with winds between 80 and 100 m.p.h. carved a path (righ ... More >>

Oklahoma Favored by Three Points Over Missouri; Forecast Calls for Rain

Image ViaMizzou lost a heartbreaker last October when Nebraska (and a monsoon) visited Faurot Field.​The early line on Saturday's face off between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 11 Missouri favors the Sooners by a field goal. The over-under on the game is 53 points. At first glance, I thought the bookies ... More >>

For Your Next Vacation, How About Some Twister Chasing?

Yes, it's the end of September and summer vacation season is officially deader than the Cardinals' playoff hopes. But it's never too early to start planning for next year. A couple of University of Missouri professors report that Missourians who are sick of float trips and paranoid about the e coli ... More >>

Three St. Louis Females are "One in 6,250" Kind of Ladies

​In that the odds of being struck by lightning during a person's lifetime are 1 in 6,250, and three St. Louis females were hit (by a single lightning bolt) Monday in the parking lot of St. Vincent Park in north county. So, you know where to go during the next lightning storm? St. Vincent Park 'cau ... More >>

This October Already Wettest on Record and Guess What? It's Raining Again!

Katie White Snow via Flickr​Last Friday, October 23, was an exciting day for St. Louis weatherwatchers: 1.91 inches of rain landed at Lambert Airport, giving October, 2009, the final boost to become the wettest October in recorded St. Louis weather history, soundly beating 1919 by .3 inches. (It w ... More >>

Midwest Winter Weather Forecast: Cold and Wet With a Chance of Warm and Dry

media.photobucket.com/image/Weatherman/lizzye82/posted/-weather-man.jpgSt. Louis' forecast: cloudy with a chance of sexual innuendo​Rise and shine campers. Take a look outside: the leaves are changing, the air is crisp and it's shaping up to be another beautiful fall day (with a forecasted high of ... More >>

Think We've Been Getting A Lot of Rain Here in Missour-ah? You're Right!

With thundershowers in the forecast again today and tomorrow (and for much of the next seven days), you may be wondering if it will ever stop raining. You may also be wondering if anyone else in the nation is getting as much rain as we've had in the past two weeks. The answer to that question? No. N ... More >>

Reminder: Don't Drive and Drown this Month

Wikimedia CommonsApparently people do very stupid things in March, which is why the month is home to about a dozen different prevention weeks. My favorite thus far is the following pearl I received yesterday from the State Emergency Management Agency. The department has dubbed March 16-20 as "Turn A ... More >>

Raindrops Keep Falling on our Heads

Anyone feeling a wee bit wet lately can look to the record-breaking St. Louis clouds for the reason.Remember the floods in the spring and in the fall? (Photo from O'Fallon, Missouri in September. More photos here.) That's right. In a year of historical benchmarks -- first black president e ... More >>

Eat for the Cause

Holy Lightning Strike, Batman!

Series/Festivals

Week of January 2, 2002

After the Deluge

Since the Flood of 93, Chesterfield boosters have used millions in public money to raise a levee and turn the bottomlands into a boomtown. But betting against the river is risky business.

Best Meteorologist

Ben Abell

Best TV Weathercaster

Dave Murray

Voodoo Engineering

New plans for a levee in St. Charles County raise concerns about flooding in Illinois and the completion of Missouri's popular Katy Trail