What’s Missouri’s All-Time Heat Record for New Year’s Day?

When you think of January in Missouri, you likely think of thick sweaters and furnaces going full blast. That wasn't true one New Year's Day in Missouri when the state began the year with all-time record highs that have never been broken.

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The National Weather Service recently shared an interesting graphic about what happened in Missouri on January 1, 1965. The state experienced unprecedented temperatures that even topped 70 degrees in one area.

Why was it so hot in Missouri that New Year's Day nearly 60 years ago?

There are no solid answers as to why St. Louis, Missouri registered a staggering 70 degree high on January 1, 1965. According to a National Weather Service document, the winter of 1965 and 1966 experienced El Nino conditions which can mean warmer winters than normal.

But, some meteorologists don't connect El Nino to warmer temperatures necessarily. It remains a mystery why Missouri started 1965 with such extreme heat. Could have been just a rogue weather system that moved through the Midwest at that time or a weird jet stream anomaly.

There's only one thing for sure. Never in recorded weather history has Missouri started a new year as warm as it did back in 1965. That high temperature record for January 1 still stands to this day.