Weather extremes slam the Forsyth Missouri area!

What had been normal, to slightly dry conditions for much of southern Missouri, turned wet and wild over the course of a three day period that saw copious rainfall, frequent lightening and overcast skies. Beginning on Friday, April the 23rd a cool dry zone clashed with warm and moist gulf air to produce training precipitation that left many waterways overflowing their banks. Some areas, including Branson and Forsyth in Taney County Missouri received a foot or more of rainfall which resulted in property damage due to rapidly rising waters.

In Forsyth, the park authorities closed River Run on Monday after flood water began encroaching area campsites. My thought is that Shadow Rock Park may follow suit soon.

December 2009 was actually a bitch!

I erroneously posted a graph that showed what a great and warm month December 2009 was. Actually last December was a real bitch, it you'll pardon my French.The correct graph is at right. The mean temperature for the month was 33F against a historical average of 35F. As you know, even a small shift in mean temperatures for a whole month mean big shifts in how warm or cold you feel.

According to my sources which include an aging psychic, an out of work meteorologist and a tarot card reader, this winter season should be on the mild side with lots of moisture and an occasional blizzard thrown in for some excitement.

Note: All data represented here was from readings taken in the Forsyth, Missouri area.

Coldest morning of the season, so far!

Forsyth Missouri - Shiver me timbers! Our first shot of really cold air of the fall season occurred on the morning of Friday, October the 29th when temperatures dropped to the mid twenties (27F) in some parts of southwest Missouri! A combination of high pressure, clear skies and calm winds all created a situation where radiational cooling could have maximum effect. Think about it. Temperatures in the twenties and it’s not even November yet. Wow!

The temperature fall overnight was an impressive one. All the way from the mid fifties in the late afternoon to a chilly 34F just after midnight. By 3AM, the mercury had fallen to thirty degrees and then after that things really got seriously cold with a 6AM reading in the mid twenties. Brrr! I can tell you that when it gets this cold, the old electric meter is really spinning that little metal disk! I’ve got my furnace turned on and set to 71F. I even have a couple of space heaters deployed in keys areas to supplement it.(See my article on heat conservation due later this winter). With some electric customers having suffered a recent 14% hike in their rates, a cold and long winter season could have a measurable impact. Just how cold can it get? Well, in 1905 in Warsaw Missouri on February the 13th the temperature plummeted to 40 below zero! If that wasn't bad enough, it can also get cold for a long time. The current record for our state was the winter of 1978-79 that posted an average temperature of only 24.1 degrees. I'd hate to see the electric bill from back then!

Hang in there. The Wx in SW Mo is about to get a little cooler! I Hope!

Starting on Sunday, August the 15th, the weather here in southwest Missouri should start a process of moderation that will result in ‘cooler than normal’ temperatures starting as early as Monday and continuing on through the balance of the week. The yellow arrows point to two cooler fronts that should swing through our neck of the woods. Praise God.