Missouri
Tornadoes, rainfall made extreme weather the climate story of 2025 in Missouri and Illinois
In 2025, St. Louis saw a city-shuttering snowstorm, the most April showers on record, a deadly tornado and humid heat waves.
The weather was unpredictable, to put it mildly. That shows in the weather data from last year, which local scientists are now releasing. Climatologists for Missouri and Illinois found both states were warmer than average, but extreme weather was the most notable trend in 2025.
Missouri may have broken its all-time record for the most documented tornadoes in 2025, and Illinois was close to doing the same.
The deadly EF3 tornado that hit St. Louis on May 16 caused an estimated $1.6 billion in damage. It joins 22 other catastrophes nationally that will cost more than $1 billion each to recover from in 2025, making last year the third highest on record for billion-dollar disasters, according to Climate Central.
Outbreaks of tornadoes in Missouri caused significant destruction and death outside St. Louis, too.
“Preliminary data shows that we had 120 tornadoes this year, which would be the state’s all-time record,” said Zack Leasor, University of Missouri state climatologist.
Most of those tornado reports were concentrated east of 1-44 and happened in the first half of the year, he said. That includes the tornado that hit Rolla in March.
The total number of tornadoes will likely come down as federal agencies verify all documented reports, Leasor said, but he expects 2025 to finish with having the most or second-most tornadoes in Missouri history.
Illinois may have nearly broken the record of 139 tornadoes set in 2024, with a preliminary count of 146 tornadoes in 2025.
“This year probably comes in at number two behind 2024,” said Trent Ford, Illinois state climatologist at the Prairie Research Institute. “But what was really interesting is the vast majority, almost all of the tornadoes that happened in 2025, happened before July 1.”
Warm but not scorching
After two years when average annual temperatures broke the top five in St. Louis, 2025 was a bit cooler in St. Louis. It was the 18th-warmest year on record in Illinois and the 16th warmest in Missouri.
“It was a warm year, although gosh, you know, it’s probably more remarkable when we get a year that’s colder than normal,” Ford said.
St. Louis recorded its 14th-warmest year in 2025, according to the National Weather Service, while 2024 and 2023 are the second- and third-warmest years, respectively.
“Even in a year like this where we did see a relative decline in those temperatures compared to the past two years, still we are well warmer than average,” Leasor said. “And this lines up with what we’ve seen really over the past 30 years in Missouri, where we have this notable upward trend in temperatures.”
Thirteen of St. Louis’ 15 warmest years have happened since 1990. The recent concentration of warmth shows how human-caused climate change is affecting the region, Ford said.
“Eighteenth warmest on record in Illinois is not headline-grabbing, but it’s also nothing to downplay either because we have 131 years of records,” Ford said.
In hotter years, warm winters have pushed St. Louis into the top five, like the record-breaking February heat in 2024.
“The past couple of years, we’ve had some very anomalously warm winter months, which can kind of skew some of that annual average as well,” Leasor said.
That didn’t happen in 2025, when winter months were cooler on average than in recent years, including the coldest January statewide in more than a decade.
But St. Louis still recorded its warmest December day on record, reaching 78 degrees on the 28th and breaking a monthly record of 76 degrees set in 2021.
April showers
Both Missouri and Illinois swung between deluges of rain and drought in 2025, according to Ford and Leasor.
“Even in drought years … we’re breaking hundreds of precipitation records because when we do get rain, it comes in giant bunches,” Ford said.
St. Louis recorded its wettest April on record, with 10.85 inches of rainfall, breaking a record set in 1893. Heavy rain on just five April days made up most of that total.
Climate change is creating heavier and more frequent rainfall events in the Midwest, according to the 2023 National Climate Assessment.
But on average, both Missouri and Illinois had drier-than-average years.
“Now we’ve had five consecutive drier-than-average months to end the year, and that kind of contributed to that annual average being dry as well,” Leasor said. “So still plenty of drought going into 2026 left around from this past year.”
Large swaths of Missouri and Illinois are now in moderate or severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
A Jackson County judge on Friday denied Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s attempt to immediately stop Kansas City-based CBD American Shaman and several affiliated companies from selling kratom products.
The motion for a temporary restraining order, which was filed alongside the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, took particular aim at the more potent 7-OH products, which Hanaway argues are “hazardous opioids” banned by state and federal law.
Jackson County Circuit Judge Charles McKenzie’s ruling Friday stated there are “competing affidavits” from experts on both sides of the argument, following a hearing on the motion earlier this week.
“The court cannot find, based on the oral argument of the parties, the respective competing affidavits presented and the pleadings, whether the plaintiff is likely to succeed on the merits at this juncture in the proceedings in order for the court to grant relief in the form of a temporary restraining order,” McKenzie’s order states.
Hanaway’s argument was backed by sworn statements from an undercover narcotics officer with the highway patrol who said 7-OH is being used to cut fentanyl and a woman whose brother died from a kratom overdose.
Her office also submitted an FDA report that points to 7-OH as “a potent opioid that poses an emerging public health threat” and states health data showing synthetic 7-OH was involved in at least 197 Missouri deaths.
American Shaman submitted statements of its own from five toxicology and addiction experts, who largely said there wasn’t enough evidence to show that 7-OH and kratom posed a public health risk. One who researched narcotics said she had never heard of 7-OH being used to cut fentanyl.
Company owner Vince Sanders’ statement detailed how he came up with the idea to create 7-OH products, which now have an “enormous” demand, particularly among people who need pain management.
Sanders could not be reached for comment about the ruling on Friday.
McKenzie denied a temporary restraining order “without prejudice,” meaning that he would like to see more evidence.
“It is because of this finding that the court determines it necessary to hold an additional hearing,” he wrote, “where it can consider the parties’ respective positions with the potential of testimonial evidence and other properly introduced evidence, all as more fully developed by the parties, in order to further analyze these issues.”
The judge will consider “other injunctive relief sought in the pleadings at a future hearing to consider the issues,” the order states.
Hanaway filed a similar lawsuit Thursday against Relax Relief Rejuvenate Trading LLC, and its owners Dustin Robinson and Ajaykumar Patel.
The group received a warning letter from the FDA for producing 7-OH products last year, similar to one received by Shaman Botanicals.
“This is another step in our ongoing crackdown on kratom manufacturers who flout the law and try to justify endangering Missourians in the name of profit,” Hanaway said in a press release Thursday.
“Our mission is to safeguard Missourians from unregulated and addictive substances, and we will continue to pursue every legal tool available to protect public health and safety.”
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 10 drawing
Midday: 7-2-5
Midday Wild: 7
Evening: 9-6-8
Evening Wild: 7
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 10 drawing
Midday: 7-1-9-9
Midday Wild: 1
Evening: 6-9-8-9
Evening Wild: 2
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 10 drawing
Early Bird: 02
Morning: 11
Matinee: 10
Prime Time: 12
Night Owl: 11
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from May 10 drawing
09-18-23-31-39
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
BURLINGTON JUNCTION, Mo. (KCTV) – A head-on collision on Highway 71 killed 3 people and seriously injured a 4th, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
State Troopers say the crash happened around 1:25 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, near the intersection of Highway 71 and 170th St. – about a mile and a half north of Burlington Junction.
Investigators say a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox, driven by a 59-year-old woman from Carthage, Texas, was heading north on the highway when it crossed the centerline.
The Chevrolet struck a southbound 2026 Ford Explorer head-on, according to MSHP. Both vehicles caught fire and came to rest in the southbound lane.
State Troopers note that the crash killed the Texas driver, a 67-year-old woman from Harlan, Iowa and a 76-year-old woman from Rockwell City, Iowa.
The Ford’s driver – a 72-year-old man from Rockwell City – was airlifted to Bryan West Medical Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, with serious injuries, according to first responders.
Troopers say all four people involved were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
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