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We’re Not Exaggerating–Springfield’s Weather is Weird

  • Brandon Broughton
  • 2 days ago
  • 6 min read

Ice storms and tornadoes. Flash floods and prolonged droughts. Heat waves and polar vortices. It’s easier to list the meteorological extremes that we don’t see in the Ozarks.


A funnel cloud forming above Ozark, Missouri, July 16, 1988. Photographed by Kent Thompson for the Springfield News-Leader. Image from the From the Darkroom collection.
A funnel cloud forming above Ozark, Missouri, July 16, 1988. Photographed by Kent Thompson for the Springfield News-Leader. Image from the From the Darkroom collection.

Of course, Springfield isn’t the only city with strange weather. It does stand to reason, though, that some places have more varied weather than others, and that there must be a region with the most varied weather in the United States. This is a title that Springfield can proudly claim—or bemoan, depending on your disposition. A 1998 study conducted by WeatherPages.com found that Springfield had the most varied weather of the 277 American cities included in the survey. Additionally, in 2007 Forbes named Springfield the American city with the “Most Variety” in its temperatures, precipitation levels, and wind speeds, citing data from the National Weather Service.


In other words, while Springfield isn’t the hottest, coldest, or rainiest city in America, it does experience a uniquely wide range of weather conditions. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals just how extreme our weather can be. Our summer heat is on par with Miami’s, and our record high of 113 degrees beats San Antonio’s 111. Our cold snaps rival those of the Great Lakes region, and our coldest recorded temperature, -29, is lower than that of Milwaukee and Juneau. We get more precipitation than cities in the famously drizzly Pacific Northwest, like Seattle and Portland, and while our annual average snowfall is relatively modest, we can see wintry weather very late in the year (anyone else remember the snowfall of May 2013?).


The numbers don’t lie. Springfield’s weather is all over the place. Why is that?


An unidentified woman and Geraldine Turner (right) beat the heat by wading in the shallows of the James River, ca. 1900. Image from the Turner Family Collection.
An unidentified woman and Geraldine Turner (right) beat the heat by wading in the shallows of the James River, ca. 1900. Image from the Turner Family Collection.

We’re Very Far From the Ocean

Coastal regions tend to have more consistent climates throughout the year due to the high heat capacity of the water. We can imagine the sea as a giant heat sink, absorbing solar energy and dispersing it through ocean currents. This phenomenon leads to cities closer to the ocean experiencing cooler temperatures during the summer months. The ocean then releases that stored heat once temperatures drop, warming coastal cities. The temperature regulating effect of the ocean is what keeps San Francisco cooler than inland California during the summer, and what keeps London balmy in the winter while the continental interior of Europe freezes.


Land, on the other hand, heats and cools much faster than the water, allowing for rapid changes in temperature. Springfield is nearly 500 miles from the Gulf, so we are not getting any help from the ocean. As a result, the Ozarks region is at the mercy of whatever air mass happens to be moving overhead. These air masses are another piece of the puzzle.


Unidentified men and women pose in front of ice accumulation on a tree, February 20, 1912. Image from the Postcards & Photographs collection.
Unidentified men and women pose in front of ice accumulation on a tree, February 20, 1912. Image from the Postcards & Photographs collection.

Air Masses Meet Over the Ozarks, With Volatile Results

The atmosphere is constantly in motion, swirling and swelling above the Earth’s surface. The dramatic swings in temperature and humidity that can occur in the Ozarks are a testament to this fact. Due to its central location on the continent, Springfield can be affected by four of the major air masses that move over North America. From the south and east, we receive warm, moist air from the Gulf and the Caribbean, contributing to our rainy, humid late springs and early summers. Another air mass originating over the arid southwest can bring hot and dry conditions from over the Great Plains. We get a little piece of Alberta and Saskatchewan during cold snaps, when the cold and dry air of the continental polar air mass ventures southeast, and in rare conditions, a polar vortex can bring a biting Arctic chill to the Ozarks.


When it’s 70 degrees on Monday and snowing on Tuesday, that’s a sign that air masses are jostling each other above us. These atmospheric cage matches can also explain sudden stormy weather. When a cold air mass pushes against a warm air mass, it forces the warm air mass upwards. The moisture in that warm air mass condenses as it rises and cools, resulting in towering thunderclouds. We call this storm-producing advancement of cooler air into a warm air mass a cold front.


A family fishes in Stockton Lake, March 1981. Prolonged drought conditions exposed stumps and dead trees along the banks of the lake. Image from the From the Darkroom collection.
A family fishes in Stockton Lake, March 1981. Prolonged drought conditions exposed stumps and dead trees along the banks of the lake. Image from the From the Darkroom collection.

An Ancient Collision Elevated Springfield

There’s something closer to the ground that causes air to rise and condense into rainclouds over Springfield. Chances are it’s below you right now.


Springfield is about 1,300 feet above sea level. It’s not Everest, but it is a higher altitude than that of the plains to the southwest, from which much of our weather arrives. Specifically, we sit at the northern edge of the Ozark Plateau. The Ozark Plateau is essentially a large chunk of limestone and dolomite that buckled upwards around 300 million years ago when North America and other continental landmasses collided to form the supercontinent Pangaea. This collision resulted in the formation of the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma and Arkansas as well as the Ozark Plateau. 


The slope of the Ozark Plateau forces the air upwards as it travels towards Springfield, resulting in cooling, condensation, and more precipitation than we would receive if we were on level ground. This phenomenon is known as orographic uplift. The relatively higher elevation of Springfield is the reason that rain and storms can sometimes seem to spin up “out of nowhere” as they move northeast out of the Oklahoma Plains.


A stereoview photograph of the devastation following the Marshfield tornado, April 18, 1880. Photographed by Tom C. Strickland. Image courtesy Robert Piland.
A stereoview photograph of the devastation following the Marshfield tornado, April 18, 1880. Photographed by Tom C. Strickland. Image courtesy Robert Piland.

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

The erratic weather of Springfield and the Ozarks can doubtlessly be a nuisance, making getting dressed in the morning a logistical gauntlet and planning an outdoor event a dice roll. More consequentially, volatile rain patterns and unstable temperatures pose serious problems for local farmers. As the effects of climate change become more pronounced, we can expect to see more extreme weather events in the region, with greater impacts on the public and economic health of the region.


Still, there is something to be said for the beauty of our highly variable weather. We sit at a meteorological crossroads, with front row seats to nature’s atmospheric diversity. Year after year, we can appreciate the stark silence of a snow-covered morning, the refreshing chill of a river during a triple-digit July afternoon, and the awe-inspiring drama of light and sound as a behemoth thunderstorm rolls overhead–all without crossing a state line.


So, the next time you’re wearing shorts in December or digging around for a sweater in May, you’ll know why. Our weather could only happen because we sit in the middle of everywhere atop a chunk of rock that was thrust up by an ancient continental crash. Air masses move from the Gulf, the Arctic, and the Plains to collide in the Ozarks skies, and we get to watch it all play out in its endless, sometimes exhausting, and frequently breathtaking variety.


Springfieldians cross St. Louis Street near the public square during a blizzard, January 10, 1955. Image from the From the Darkroom collection.
Springfieldians cross St. Louis Street near the public square during a blizzard, January 10, 1955. Image from the From the Darkroom collection.

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