100-degree mark looking unlikely for Springfield for 5th year in a row

It might feel like a scorcher out there today.

But Thursday's predicted high of 95 degrees was nowhere near Springfield's all-time record high.

That happened during a torrid heat wave in July 1954, when the city broke three record-high marks in a row.

Springfield baked at 113 degrees on July 14 — the hottest in the city since weather records have been kept. It reached 118 degrees in Warsaw, north of Springfield, which remains the hottest temperature ever recorded in the state.

On that same day in neighboring Fort Scott, Kansas, the thermometer hit 120 degrees.  Media reports at the time noted a run on ice in most Missouri cities and a death toll of at least 29 Missourians from the heat. 

Poultry farmers lost thousands of chickens and turkeys, according to The Associated Press.  

Had that 113-degree mark occurred on Thursday this week, the heat index would be an astonishing 129 degrees. 

While it might feel hot this week, Springfield so far is continuing on an unusual trend. It has been almost five years since the city eclipsed the 100-degree mark. The last time Springfield officially hit 100 degrees at the weather service office at the airport was Aug. 25, 2014, when the temperature reached 101 degrees.

"There's not much chance of us hitting 100 over the next week or so," said Drew Albert, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Springfield. "In fact, we're expecting cooler air coming down from Canada next week, with highs in the low 80s. Hopefully that will help with the beginning of the fair."

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Looking out further, Albert said that because there is so much moisture in the ground and in the air, he sees little chance of Springfield cracking 100 degrees even into August.

Century-mark temperatures typically occur during drought conditions, when there's little moisture in the soil or air. Albert said Climate Center forecasts looking one month ahead show an equal chance for above-normal and below normal temperatures.

However, there's an above-normal chance of precipitation during that time frame, which would tend to keep temperatures lower.

"There's no huge signal indicating we would see any prolonged period of 100-degree days," he said. 

Earliest date to hit 100 degrees?

The earliest calendar date Springfield has ever hit 100 degrees was June 14, 1963.

There have been some oddball years as well. According to NWS records reported in a previous News-Leader story, Springfield endured 22 days of 100 degree or higher weather in 1934 and 1954.

In 1936 and again in 1980, there were 21 days of 100-degree heat, and in 2012, there were 17 days of century-mark weather.

If those extreme years are stripped out of Springfield's weather history, the city records only one 100-degree day annually, on average.