Most memorable weather events of 2025
The first week of 2026 is already behind us, but it’s not too late to reflect on last year’s wild weather highlights for Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas.
Perhaps the most memorable weather event of 2025 was a good old fashioned January blizzard that walloped the region with fierce winds, whiteout conditions, and the most snow St. Joseph has seen at once in well over a decade- if not much longer.
Final snow totals ranged from 13 to 16 inches locally with drifts of several feet that stuck around for weeks to come. The 16 inch figure for St. Joseph was indeed an "unofficial" 24 hour snowfall record that couldn't be definitively proven by the National Weather Service, mainly due to inconsistencies in the local snowfall measurements over the years.
Topeka, KS saw comparable snow during the 2025 blizzard, with a grand total of 14.1 inches, "officially" the 3rd highest 24 hour snowfall on record for them. NWS KC/Pleasant hill did confirm the blizzard was easily a top 5 snowstorm in St. Joseph history.
Fast forward to March, the gales of spring were no joke with three high wind events in three weeks, each producing 60 to 70 mph wind gusts resulting in downed trees and power outages. One system accompanied by blowing snow, another with airborne dust blown straight from the plains of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Late May brought another noteworthy weather moment, when a small tornado touched down south of St. Joseph. The first twister to strike Buchanan county since 2022. The brief EF-0 tornado tracked just over 4 miles causing mainly tree damage along its narrow path a few miles north of Agency.
While much of the Mid-Missouri River Valley fell into drought through the 2025 warm season, far Northern Missouri seemed to luck out with rainfall. In late June, some were more than lucky when it came to rain when repeated rounds of thunderstorm activity delivered way too much water in late June. Parts of Nodaway, Gentry, and Worth counties were inundated with 8 to 12 inches of rainfall in less than 48 hours, leading to major flooding of the Grand River and a roof collapse in downtown Grant City, MO.
