West Plains

That title might sound a little deceiving but it is actually true.  Today is the beginning of a slow cool down.  It will still be one of the hottest days of the year with highs around 100 to 105.  A few records could still fall today.  Here are the records starting with the record high and high low:  Springfield 104 (1918) / 77 (1934) Joplin 101 (2010) / 82 (1943) Rolla 104 (1964) / 78 (2010) West Plains 103 (2010) / 76 (2010) From Thursday into this weekend the highs will be in the upper 90's to 100.  Scattered storms will be possible Thursday and Friday.  Not everyone will see the activity but cloud cover will cool things down a bit by afternoon.  By the start of next work week highs will cool to around 90.  Some models are indicating highs will only be in the 80's by the end of the week.  Yes, that is a cool down!

How do you follow up an undefeated regular season?  The Lebanon Yellow Jackets will answer that question this year. After going 10-0 in regular season play last year, Lebanon will have to find a way to succeed with a new cast of characters.  The Yellow Jackets return only 4 starters from last year's squad, so the team's success will hinge largely on these inexperienced players.  "We'll have to battle through some inexperience", Lebanon head...

Extremely warm day here in the Ozarks with records falling in West Plains. They hit 90, old record was 87 from 1987. Springfield came within 1 degree at 87 with the record being 88. A cooler day is expected tomorrow as rain and clouds will be around.   Showers and storms will become likely later in the afternoon. A few could become strong, but nothing widespread is expected. Storms will be isolated in nature.   I have a bigger focus on this weekend for severe weather.

HOWELL COUNTY, Mo. - KSPR tracked yesterday's storms as they made their way through our viewing area. While springfield saw heavy rain fall throughout the afternoon, a storm cell just south of West Plains in Howell County brought heavy rain, high winds and bright flashes of lightning -- making for little visibility at times. The story is very different in the St. Louis area, where three confirmed tornadoes touched down Wednesday evening in the suburbs of Hazelwood, Florissant and Alton, Ill. Hazelwood's communications manager says the tornado tore roofs off several homes there, but no major injuries were reported.

Today, we're talking our winter storm. We have a Winter Weather Advisory in effect until 7am Friday morning. Here's my full breakdown on the event: Our latest weather models are indicating mainly snow for the Springfield area, while those folks towards the south and west will see more of a rain/mix. A fine line of heavy snow is possible stretching from Nevada through NE Springfield and onto the Ava and West Plains area. Totals will range a lot with this storm.

KSPR Girls Basketball Power Rankings - Week 7 (Teams are ranked by the KSPR Sports Department based on their relative strength to class size.  Overall dominance, strength of schedule, quality wins, and momentum are factors in determining the order.  Stats and details are based on information submitted by coaches.  Feel free to email comments to mscott@kspr.com)   (Last week in parenthesis)     1.     Glendale (1) - The Lady Falcons stayed red hot with 20+ point wins over Waynesville and Central.  A pair of big matchups await this week; Monday night at West Plains and Wednesday at Republic.

The all-state basketball teams and final polls as selected by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.   CLASS 5 First Team Megan Deines, 6-0, sr., Glendale Maddie Stock, 6-1, jr., St. Joseph's Academy Sophie Cunningham, 6-0, fr., Rock Bridge Mikala McGhee, 5-11, sr., Pattonville Taylor Manuel, 6-3, sr., Incarnate Word Annie Armstrong, 5-8,...

A community is mourning the loss of a city official in West Plains. Mayor Joe Paul Evans died Saturday night at Ozarks Medical Center. Evans has served as mayor since 1999. The official cause of death has not been released but Evans recently had open-heart surgery. He was 81. Current Mayor pro-tem Jack Pahlmann will take over Evans duties until a replacement has been assigned. Funeral arrangements are still pending.

A Howell County school district is considering a drug testing policy for students. The West Plains superintendent has proposed the policy for those involved in extracurricular and co-curricular activities. The football coach says the policy would begin with athletics and then branch out to other activities. The board will vote on the drug test policy at its August 17th meeting.