COLUMBIA —An unexpected line of thunderstorms dropped south into central Missouri last night with gusty winds that provided welcome relief from the unseasonably hot temperatures and caused power outages.
Jim Kramper of the National Weather Service in St. Louis said a gust front ahead of the actual storms brought winds as high as 54 mph in Columbia.
Connie Kacprowicz of the city Water and Light Department said the wind caused seven different power outages in Columbia with the largest affecting 167 households.
Dan Stokes, distribution manager for Water and Light, said the wind-related power problems were concentrated on the north side of the city.
The storms brought cooler air that dropped temperatures into the low 70s and high 60s across parts of the state affected by the storms. Kramper said that winds of 50 to 60 mph in northern and central parts of the state were just below the threshold for a severe thunderstorm.
Damage was more widespread in north-central Missouri, with numerous reports of power lines and trees down in Knox and Lewis counties.
A heat advisory remained in effect until 7 p.m. Saturday for heat indexes around 100 for afternoons and evenings. The temperature Wednesday had climbed to 88 degrees by noon at Sanborn Field on the MU campus; the forecast high for Columbia was near 93.