Month: June 2026

Jessica Hafner

The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for the potential of severe thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon into the evening.

A Tornado Watch is in effect until 10:00 p.m. for all counties shaded in yellow, including Columbia and Jefferson City. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for all counties in pink until 10:00 p.m.

A Wind Advisory is in place for wind gusts in excess of 40 mph possible late this morning through the afternoon. The advisory extends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

This wind will be amplified by an approaching low-pressure system that brings our main threat for storms Wednesday evening.

A low-pressure system in the northern plains is drawing a south wind across Mid-Missouri. A complex of storms near the warm front is tracking across northeast Missouri into central Illinois, keeping any severe threat northeast of Mid-Missouri.

Wednesday afternoon will be hot and humid ahead of the evening cold front, allowing the atmosphere to become increasingly unstable and provide energy for storms to sustain severe limits as they develop. We’ll also have strong low-level winds increasing moisture across the region starting late Tuesday night. Wind shear will be sufficient at the low and mid-levels for storms to quickly become severe.

Storms are expected to fire along a trailing cold front between 3 and 5 p.m. These initial storms could be discrete supercells capable of producing large hail and tornadoes.

From here, we’ll have to watch to see if storms congeal into a line, or remain somewhat supercellular. It’s possible that some, if not all, congeal into a line along the front, but there is some uncertainty regarding this. Whether a line or individual cells, storms will generally move north to south, exiting and weakening after midnight.

All hazards will be possible with these storms, but the main concern going into the evening will be damaging winds and heavy rain. Moisture levels in the atmosphere will be high, meaning storms could have high rainfall rates, leaving another 1-2″+ through Thursday morning. Almost all of Mid-Missouri is in a level 3/5 severe risk from the Storm Prediction Center on Wednesday.

There remains uncertainty in timing and severity from morning to evening. While it looks likely that morning rain will miss the region, and allow for abundant storm energy for the cold front to use in the late afternoon and evening, one of the main questions remaining is exactly what mode these storms take on. There appears to be some potential for both line segments and/or individual cells. Differences in storm mode will mean differences in what severe threats we can expect. The main threat appears to be damaging wind, as we expect this with both individual supercells and line segments.

Individual supercells would favor a higher threat for tornadoes and larger hail. In either scenario, wind will likely be the most common impact, but this keeps the potential for strong tornadoes (up to EF-2) on the table for now. Stay tuned for details on how this forecast evolves.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Some members of the Jefferson City planning and zoning commission are not on board with rezoning a building that the Jefferson City Room at the Inn would use to expand its homeless shelter and create a new day room.

The board voted 4-3 on Thursday not to recommend the zoning change to the city council.

“We have probably spent the whole weekend just kind of licking our wounds,” RATI Chair Sarah Hamilton said Sunday.

RATI leadership is considering buying a building on 107 Adam St. that would have a day center on the bottom floor for people experiencing homelessness to spend time and set goals to get back on their feet. It would also have laundry facilities and showers.

The second floor would be the overnight shelter with 30 beds, which is 10 more than RATI’s current space at the First Baptist Church, located at 301 E. Capitol Ave.

However, the building needs to be rezoned before RATI can purchase it for $500,000 and make about $500,000 in renovations, Hamilton said.

The city council will have the final decision on whether the building can be rezoned at the Aug. 3 council meeting.

Planning and zoning commissioner Bunnie Trickey Cotten, who voted in support of RATI, said the council isn’t required to follow the commission’s recommendation.

“The city council often does not take our recommendation and this is definitely one time I hope they do not take our recommendation,” Cotten said.

Hamilton said there was no explanation for why the commission voted the way it did, especially after over 53 people sent in letters of support, compared to 17 community members against the zoning change.

“Nobody wants a homeless shelter in their backyard and we understand that, but that doesn’t make the problem go away and that doesn’t help the folks who are in need of help,” Hamilton said.

People opposed to the shelter are worried that it will cause harm to the people who live on East Capitol Avenue and put time into revitalizing it, Hamilton said.

RATI hasn’t given up hope on the proposed building, and Hamilton said the nonprofit will look at other buildings to rezone if the council turns down the Adams Street proposal.

If it is approved, RATI can move forward with fundraising for a down payment. They already have $200,000 saved up.

Regardless of the council’s decision, the emergency shelter will stay at the First Baptist Church for the winter while renovations happen.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new report shows Columbia’s Flock Safety camera system alerted police thousands of times over the past year.

The Columbia Police Department says the system generated 5,521 total alerts in the first year of operation. Of those alerts, 2,877 were linked to outstanding warrants, 1,452 involved stolen license plates and 1,192 were connected to stolen vehicles.

The Flock system was approved by the Columbia city council in Oct. 2024. Since then, more than 100 license plate reader cameras have been installed across the city.

Two years ago, Police Chief Jill Schlude previously said the system is intended in part to deter crime.

“The idea is to set up a system where there is a fear that your numbers are going to get drawn or that your queries are going to get looked at, and that’s kind of a deterrent,” Schlude said.

The technology has drawn criticism from some community members who have raised concerns about privacy and government surveillance. Despite those concerns, police said the cameras have helped identify wanted individuals and recover stolen property.

According to the department’s annual report, the system has been linked to 217 criminal cases since its deployment. More than half of those cases either led to an arrest or provided investigators with useful leads, including 69 arrests and 52 investigative leads.

The report also details the cost of the system.

Columbia spent nearly $585,000 to install and launch the Flock Safety camera system in 2025.

City officials expect to spend about $515,000 in fiscal year 2026 to maintain the network, including $476,000 from police and general city funds and $39,000 from parks and recreation.

While the system costs more than half a million dollars per year, city officials believe the expense is justified when spread across the population and weighed against the public safety benefits they said the cameras provide.

The city’s current contract with Flock expires in March 2027, when officials will decide whether to renew the agreement.

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