Central Mo Info Central Mo Info Logo

Extreme Drought Impacting One-Fifth Of Missouri

June 29, 2023 10:10AM CDT
Share
Extreme Drought Impacting One-Fifth Of Missouri
Drought conditions in Missouri as of June 27th, 2023. (The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.)

Close to 20 percent of Missouri’s acreage is now in the third stage of drought severity.  The weekly update to the US Drought Monitor finds Monroe, eastern Audrain, western Pike, and southern Ralls counties descending into extreme drought this week, along with most of Johnson, St Clair, and southern Miller counties.  Severe and moderate drought also increased this week, with the southern half of the Kansas City metro entering severe drought, and parts of the Bootheel returning to moderate drought along with Joplin.  Jefferson, Madison, St François, Ste Genevieve, and western Perry counties also fell into severe drought.

Just 5.8 percent of the state is outside of drought or abnormal dryness, confined to areas east and south of Springfield.  82 percent of the state is in some stage of drought, including 32.7 percent in severe drought and 29.7 percent in moderate drought.  Another 11.7 percent of Missouri is in abnormal dryness.

Big K News