As drought persists, summer outlooks indicate above-average rainfall

The latest seasonal outlooks for late summer continue to highlight a hotter and wetter-than-average season for Mid-Missouri. Much of the United States is expected to see a warm summer, with the only areas closer to normal in the Upper Plains. Much less of us are expected to have above-average rainfall, but Mid-MO is within the area of forecasted higher precip.

This above-normal rainfall is much needed with drought ongoing, though long-range drought forecasts keep those dry conditions persisting. This is mostly due to our dry spring, as we missed out on rain during our wettest season. Even with more than normal rain this summer, it won't likely be enough to catch up on our deficit. Still, drought could improve somewhat heading into early fall.