Snow, Ice Melt Extreme Drought Out Of Missouri

Drought conditions in Missouri as of Jan. 23rd, 2024. (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.)

For the first time in nine months, Missouri does not have any part of the state in extreme drought. The end of extreme drought conditions in the corners of four East Central Missouri counties was confirmed in this week’s US Drought Monitor, which also saw most of Lincoln and northern St Charles counties, north St Louis County, and the northern third of St Louis City, exit abnormally dry condition. Areas along the Missouri River from the mouth of the Osage River downstream exited moderate drought, as did central and southern Nodaway, northeastern Holt, northernmost Gentry, and Worth counties. Areas near the Arkansas state line from Branson east to Myrtle in eastern Oregon County were also upgraded from moderate drought to post-drought condition. The southern halves of Texas, Webster and Wright counties, along with southeastern Greene and central Shannon counties, improved from severe to moderate drought.

54.4 percent of Missouri is in either severe or moderate drought, a 5.4 point improvement from last week. That includes 13.8 percent in severe drought. Another 27.4 percent of the state remains abnormally dry.