Beware of Catastrophic Ice Storm Hitting Missouri in Mid-February

I have already started seeing many voices expressing concern about what could be a catastrophic ice storm impacting Missouri sometime on or before mid-February. I need to share my own warning about these warnings, if that makes sense.

Let me start by saying that those claiming computer models are showing a potentially catastrophic ice storm blanketing Missouri in the middle of February are real. Here's an actual snapshot of what the GFS model shows for February 12, 2026. The red on this map represents ice as shown by Pivotal Weather. If this were to happen, thousands of Missourians would likely be without power for an extending period of time.

Here's the problem with those that are sharing this map. As of this writing, we're right at the beginning of February which is nearly two weeks from the date this computer model shows. Two weeks is like FOREVER for weather computer models. Here's another problem. As of today, only the GFS shows this major ice event. The European model does NOT agree with the GFS. What I'm saying is don't be alarmed at any weather warnings that are still two weeks out.

But, here's why you need to watch Missouri weather in mid-February anyway

There are some very reputable people that are warning about some kind of major winter event affecting Missouri in mid-February. Here's one from Gary Lezak who is the founder of Weather 20/20, LLC and former KSHB-TV Chief Meteorologist.

I've seen others, but for the sake of brevity, I won't include them all here. You get the idea. I know this will sound contradictory, but I think you should do two things. First, don't be alarmed if you see warnings about a life-threatening ice event hitting Missouri in the middle of the month. Second, you should keep your eye on the middle of February. No, I'm not convinced that there is a huge winter event coming, but there are enough reasons to watch as we get a week or two into February. If I were you, I'd keep an eye on what the National Weather Service is saying about incoming systems. This may amount to absolutely nothing, but there are a few indications that winter isn't done with us yet. Just don't let alarmists convince you that Missouri will be coated in ice. It's not time to be worried - yet.