Fourth Drought Patch Emerges As Abnormal Dryness Expands West
December 17, 2021 8:40AM CST
Drought conditions in Missouri as of December 14th, 2021. (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.)
A fourth patch of moderate drought has developed in the past week, now covering a majority of Phelps County and portions of three surrounding counties. The latest USDA Drought Monitor has moderate drought affecting four percent of Missouri’s area, but over 1.1 million residents as one area of drought has expanded to cover more of St Charles, St Louis and Warren counties. Abnormal dryness now impacts 46.6 percent of Missouri, up nine points from a week ago. Areas of 13 counties west of Highway 65 fell into pre-drought conditions, including much of the Kansas City area and the Interstate 49 corridor.
