Half of Missouri Now In Severe Or Worse Drought

Drought conditions in Missouri as of October 18th, 2022. (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.)

With limited rainfall in parts of Missouri, just over half the state is now in severe or worse drought condition. The weekly Drought Monitor update shows the largest expansion of drought in Southern Missouri, where all or parts of 18 counties entered the second stage of drought. Severe drought also expanded into Northwest Missouri’s Buchanan, Clinton, southern Andrew, southern Holt, and northern Platte counties. Moderate drought also expanded in 17 counties in the south, including eastern Jefferson and southernmost St Louis counties, along with western Franklin, southern Crawford, all of Dent, and the opposite ends of Iron County. Nodaway County in the northwest also entered moderate drought. Extreme drought edged eastward into southern Dallas, northern Greene, and the corners of Laclede and Webster counties.

Exceptional drought conditions on Barton, Jasper, and western Newton counties are unchanged from a week ago, still accounting for 2.6 percent of Missouri. Another 11.7 percent of the state is in extreme drought, while 36.1 percent is in severe drought and 32 percent are experiencing moderate drought. The remaining 17.6 percent of the state remains in abnormal dryness.