Winter in Missouri certainly is beautiful, especially with the landscape capped in snow. However, winter can also get downright brutal, bringing some or all of the state to a bitterly cold standstill. These horrific winter storms in Missouri are ones we probably won’t forget any time soon (if at all) and serve as a reminder that, although beautiful, winter can sometimes pack a powerful, dangerous punch.

1. February 2011
Flickr/KOMU News
Wikipedia/Baylor98
February ushered in, in 2011, with a massive snowstorm that began innocently enough as a bitterly cold rain. However, as the first day of February wore on, the rain turned to snow and began to pile up all over the state. All of Interstate 70, in Missouri, shut down as did Kansas City International Airport. Joplin experienced the rare winter phenomenon of thundersnow. By the end of the storm the next day, nearly two feet of snow had fallen in Warrensburg, Windsor, and Calhoun. Kansas City tallied almost a foot, marking the most snow it had received since 1912. Record snowfall in Missouri accompanied the storm that most won't soon forget.

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2. March 1989
Flickr/Timothy K. Hamilton
The National Weather Service deemed the early March 1989 blizzard one of the worst to hit Missouri in the 20th century. Lebanon got hit the hardest with 16 inches of snow with Marshfield tallying 15 inches. St. Louis racked up 11 inches, causing the airport to shut down. Missourians across the state had to deal with huge snow drifts, closed roads, and digging out, making it an unforgettable winter in Missouri.
3. January 1982
Flickr/Robert Stinnett
The final two days of January 1982 ended with a massive snowstorm that, up until that point, earned it the title of the worst blizzard in Missouri’s history. (It also brought record snowfall in Missouri.) What started out as rain turned into heavy snow, thunder, and lightning. St. Louis got hit the hardest with 18 inches of snow. The storm also claimed 16 lives; several of those deaths were the result of shoveling snow.
4. February 1979
Flickr/Catherine Rankovic
The Blizzard of ’79, as it’s still called to this day, struck southern Missouri on February 25 and 26, dumping two feet of snow and causing snowdrifts that measured up to 10 feet high. Winds also reached speeds of up to 50 miles an hour. The portion of Interstate 55 from Sikeston to Perrysville remained shut for five days, and the National Guard was sent in to assist as it took days for the area to dig out from the brutal snowstorm.

Do you remember these winter storms in Missouri? What others would you add to the list? Any recent ones or ones that saw record snowfall in Missouri? Join the conversation in the comments! Then take a peek at the 10 things no one tells you about surviving a Missouri winter.

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Winter Storms In Missouri

Beth Price-Williams | October 18, 2021

What can I expect during winter in Missouri?

If you’re going to spend winter in Missouri, you must know what to expect. Like the dangers of freezing rain; the resulting ice causes quite a few problems on roads and bridges. Be prepared, too, to scrape the ice off of your windows A LOT. While you’ll have to worry about snowstorms and the occasional blizzard, did you know that Missouri’s also known for winter flooding? While there are some downsides to winter in Missouri, don’t forget the fun – sled riding, skiing, snowball fights, ice skating, winter hikes, and building snowmen.

Are there any perfect hikes for winter in Missouri?

If you absolutely love winter, you probably want to spend as much time as you can outdoors, especially after a fresh snowfall. You’ll find no better way to get outdoors than to go on a refreshing winter hike in Missouri. For spellbinding views, the Bell Mountain Loop Trail in Belleview is the trail to follow. Just be prepared for the challenge as it measures nearly 12 miles in length. The Lone Wolf Trail in Ballwin, the trails at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, and Whispering Pines Trail in Ste. Genevieve are all worth a trek, too. If you want to see the tallest waterfall in Missouri, Mina Sauk Falls, capped with snow and ice, go on the Mina Sauk Falls Trail in Middlebrook.

Have there been any natural disasters in Missouri?

Missouri’s rich history offers plenty of heartwarming moments and some heart-wrenching ones. See how many of these natural disasters in Missouri you remember. The Great Flood of 1951, for example, took 17 lives, left more than a half of a million Missourians homeless, and cost nearly a billion dollars in damage. You might have heard of the famous earthquakes of New Madrid, a series of earthquakes in 1811 and 1812. More than 1,000 earthquakes hit in that time, with some measuring nearly an 8.0 magnitude. December of 2005 saw the flooding of Johnsons Shut-Ins, which destroyed a nearby campground and shut the natural attraction until 2009. Fortunately, no lives were lost in the natural disaster.

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