Weather Wise

October kicked off this week, but it doesn’t feel much like spooky season just yet. Temperatures remain unseasonably warm across the region, continuing the hot, dry stretch that closed out September. Highs have been running 10 to 15 degrees above average, while overnight lows have stayed mild, making it feel more like late summer than early fall.

Ragweed in bloom, one of the most common sources of late season allergies across the Midwest.

Meteorological summer officially ended on Aug. 31, and astronomical summer wraps up in just a few days. As the season concludes, how does this year’s summer rainfall stack up?

Many enjoyed the spell of below-average temperatures across the Midwest in late August and early September. The fall-like air is but a memory this week, as late-season heat has made a comeback, reminding us that summer isn’t over yet.

The root cause of earthquakes are geographic features called faults, or fault lines, defined as a fracture between two blocks of rock. Faults range in length from less than a foot to thousands of miles, and are categorized into three common types: normal, reverse, and strike-slip.

The fall equinox is still over three weeks away, but as we get closer, daylight hours will continue to get shorter, quickly. In the next month, we’ll lose about an hour and 15 minutes of daylight. 

On September 1, the sun will rise at 6:47 a.m. and set at 7:50 p.m. in St. Joseph. By the end of the month, sunrise isn’t until 7:15 a.m., with sunset at 7:02 p.m.

The first half of August has been far from a wash out for St. Joseph, with just over half an inch of rain falling at Rosecrans Memorial Airport since Aug. 1.

A field of mature cropland and tall weeds in far Northern Missouri on an early August afternoon.

Within a thunderstorm cell, a microburst is literally a small concentrated column of air that rapidly sinks and slams into the ground. Once it hits, the wind spreads out in all directions. Microbursts are technically a type of downburst, just on a smaller scale, typically spanning less than 2.5 miles in width.

When the air is humid, your body can’t cool off as easily. Normally, your sweat evaporates to release heat—but with more moisture in the air, that evaporation slows down. So your body stays hotter, longer. Now on the opposite end of that, when the air is dry, sweat evaporates faster, helping your body cool down more quickly.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Rainbows are often seen as symbols of luck, and if you spot one, consider yourself lucky.

Cloud-to-ground lightning strike in downtown St. Joseph during an afternoon thunderstorm in August of 2023.

America’s holiday: Fourth of July climatology and why firework smoke lingers

Mature thunderstorm moving into St. Joseph from the southwest on Monday, June 26.

Gray skies along the Missouri River near Worthwine Island Conservation Area on May 28 2025.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) –The first half of May offered a lull in spring storms across Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas, with a solid 14 days of dry quiet weather across the region.