Heat, St. Louis
- When
- May 17, 12:00 AM CST to May 20, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Louis forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.641, -90.443 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat in Missouri, May 17 to 20, 1996
A spring heat wave hig eastern Missouri, with record temperatures set on 3 consecutive days. Record highs of 94 degrees were set on May 17, 18, and 19.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 25
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS LSX wrote it up.
A spring heat wave hig eastern Missouri, with record temperatures set on 3 consecutive days. Record highs of 94 degrees were set on May 17, 18, and 19. Record high minimums, 75 and 74 degrees were also set on the 18 and 19. The heat caused 25 heat related illnesses to be reported to St. Louis Hospitals. Most of the illnesses, 23, occurred on May 19, 1996, during the Annie Malone Parade in St. Louis.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat, St. Charles
- When
- May 17, 12:00 AM CST to May 20, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Charles forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.782, -90.675 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, St. Louis (C)
- When
- May 17, 12:00 AM CST to May 20, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Louis (C) forecast zone
- Injuries
- 25 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 38.627, -90.198 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heat
- Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Minnesota, May 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in Indiana, May 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in Ohio, May 17, 1996
- Flood in Ohio, May 17, 1996
- Hail in Iowa, May 17, 1996
- Tornado in North Dakota, May 17, 1996
- Hail in Nebraska, May 17, 1996
- Tornado in Minnesota, May 17, 1996
- Tornado in Idaho, May 17, 1996
- Tornado in Idaho, May 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in North Dakota, May 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in North Dakota, May 17, 1996
More
Every storm in Missouri in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, May 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5551316, 5551317, 5551318.