Drought in Missouri, February 1 to 28, 2013

Name: Drought in Missouri, February 1 to 28, 2013
Start: 2013-02-01T00:00
End: 2013-02-28T23:59
Location: Missouri

February 1 to 28, 2013 · NWS SGF · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

February was near or slightly above normal on precipitation resulting in the improvement of drought conditions but long term drought conditions continued for portions of the Missouri Ozarks.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 SGF wrote it up.

February was near or slightly above normal on precipitation resulting in the improvement of drought conditions but long term drought conditions continued for portions of the Missouri Ozarks.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Springfield, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 11:58 PM CST, 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 11:58 PM CST, 2 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1158 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013

...UPDATE TO AVIATION...

.UPDATE...
/ISSUED 532 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013/

HAVE CONTINUED TO UPDATE THE FORECAST BASED ON HOURLY OBSERVATION
TRENDS AS WELL AS RADAR AND SATELLITE.

BANDS OF LIGHT SNOW ARE DEFINITELY ON THE MOVE NOW AND SHOULD EXIT
SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI BY 7 PM. A QUICK DUSTING WITH VERY
LOCALIZED AREAS OF UP TO ONE INCH OF SNOW ACCUMULATION ARE
EXPECTED. MOST ACCUMULATION WILL CONTINUE TO BE ON GRASSY AND
ELEVATED AREAS...THOUGH WET PAVEMENT MAY QUICKLY ATTAIN A FEW
SLICK SPOTS AS TEMPERATURES QUICKLY DROP INTO THE 20S. FOLKS
TRAVELING ACROSS THE MISSOURI OZARKS TONIGHT WILL NEED TO PAY
CLOSE ATTENTION TO BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES AS SLICK SPOTS ARE LIKELY.

HAVE ALSO TRENDED EXPECTED LOW TEMPERATURES DOWNWARD TONIGHT.
LOOKING AT UPSTREAM OBSERVATIONS FROM LAST NIGHT...THE EXPECTED
POSITION OF HIGH PRESSURE BY DAYBREAK FRIDAY...AND THE ADDITION OF
JUST A DASH OF SNOW SHOULD RESULT IN TEMPERATURES FALLING WELL
INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS BY SUNRISE FRIDAY. WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT
NEW DATA THIS EVENING AND POSSIBLY AMEND THE LOW TEMPERATURE
FORECAST FURTHER DOWNWARD.

GAGAN

&&

.DISCUSSION...

A LITTLE BIT OF SURPRISE WITH THIS UPPER LEVEL WAVE MOVING THROUGH
THE OZARKS THIS AFTERNOON. A BAND OF LIGHT TO OCCASIONAL MODERATE
SNOW HAS DEVELOP AND MOVING OFF TO THE EASTERN OZARKS. A DUSTING
TO UP TO AN INCH MAY BE POSSIBLE WHERE THIS BAND CONTINUES
ESPECIALLY EAST OF SPRINGFIELD ACROSS THE SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI
AREA. SNOW SHOWERS WILL WRAP UP BY EARLY EVENING AS THIS MOVES OFF
TO THE EAST. MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL MOVE IN TONIGHT AS THE
CENTER OF THE ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OVER HEAD BY TOMORROW
MORNING. SKIES WILL CLEAR OUT AND TEMPERATURES WILL FALL DOWN INTO
THE SINGLE DIGITS ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA AND TEENS
SOUTHERN HALF.

A NORTHWEST FLOW IN THE UPPER LEVELS WILL LINGER THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. ANOTHER WEAK FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH ON SATURDAY BUT
MOISTURE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ENOUGH TO PRODUCE ANY PRECIP AND
WILL MAINTAIN A SEASONABLE COOL AND DRY FORECAST THROUGH EARLY
NEXT WEEK. THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW FLATTENS AND A RETURN OF SOUTHERLY
WINDS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO BE BACK IN THE 50S TO NEAR 60 BY
THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM TO BRING A CHANCE
OF RAINFALL WILL BE HERE BY THURSDAY.

GRIFFIN

&&

.AVIATION...

VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI THROUGH
FRIDAY EVENING WITH AN INCREASE IN MID CLOUDS. NORTHWEST WINDS
WILL BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE OVERNIGHT AND EVENTUALLY BECOME
SOUTHEASTERLY ON FRIDAY.

SCHAUMANN

&&

.SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...NONE.
KS...NONE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 31, 8:23 PM CST, 3 hours 37 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
823 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013

KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-020230-
BOURBON-CRAWFORD-CHEROKEE-BENTON-MORGAN-MILLER-MARIES-VERNON-
ST. CLAIR-HICKORY-CAMDEN-PULASKI-PHELPS-BARTON-CEDAR-POLK-DALLAS-
LACLEDE-TEXAS-DENT-JASPER-DADE-GREENE-WEBSTER-WRIGHT-NEWTON-
LAWRENCE-CHRISTIAN-DOUGLAS-HOWELL-SHANNON-MCDONALD-BARRY-STONE-
TANEY-OZARK-OREGON-
823 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE MISSOURI
OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED...

  LIMITED EXCESSIVE COLD RISK.

DISCUSSION...

  A VERY COLD AIRMASS WILL SETTLE OVER THE REGION FOR THE REST OF
  TONIGHT. LOW TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL TO THE SINGLE
  DIGITS ABOVE ZERO TO AROUND 10 DEGREES WITH WIND CHILL READINGS
  BETWEEN FIVE DEGREES BELOW ZERO AND FIVE DEGREES ABOVE ZERO..

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

  NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

  SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT.

&&

THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE IN GRAPHICAL FORMAT...ALONG WITH
OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...AT
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/SGF(ALL LOWERCASE)

GAGAN

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Vernon

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 28, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Vernon forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 37.851, -94.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The U.S Drought Monitor continued to report a Severe Drought (D2) throughout the month of February. The COOP station near Nevada reported 2.89 of rainfall for the month of February. This is a continuation of the drought that began across the region in June 2012. The loss and damage estimates will be included in August's 2012 storm data section for the entire drought event.

Drought, Barton

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 28, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Barton forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 37.502, -94.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The U.S Drought Monitor continued to report a Severe Drought (D2) throughout the month of February. The COOP station near Lamar reported 3.54 of rainfall for the month of February. This is a continuation of the drought that began across the region in June 2012. The loss and damage estimates will be included in August's 2012 storm data section for the entire drought event.

Drought, Jasper

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 28, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jasper forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 37.204, -94.341 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The U.S Drought Monitor continued to report a Severe Drought (D2) throughout the month of February. The COOP station near Carthage reported 3.22 of rainfall for the month of February. The Joplin ASOS reported 2.70 of rainfall for the month of February. This was 0.38 above average. This is a continuation of the drought that began across the region in June 2012. The loss and damage estimates will be included in August's 2012 storm data section for the entire drought event.

Drought, Newton

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 28, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Newton forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 36.906, -94.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The U.S Drought Monitor continued to report a Severe Drought (D2) throughout the month of February. The COOP station near Diamond reported 2.85 of rainfall for the month of February. The COOP station near Neosho reported 2.90 of rainfall for the month of February. This is a continuation of the drought that began across the region in June 2012. The loss and damage estimates will be included in August's 2012 storm data section for the entire drought event.

Drought, McDonald

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 28, 11:59 PM CST
Where: McDonald forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 36.629, -94.348 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The U.S Drought Monitor continued to report a Severe Drought (D2) throughout the month of February. The COOP station near Anderson reported 2.42 of rainfall for the month of February. This is a continuation of the drought that began across the region in June 2012. The loss and damage estimates will be included in August's 2012 storm data section for the entire drought event.

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Missouri in 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, February 2013

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: 427722, 427723, 427724, 427725, 427726.