Insider Blog: Missouri Drought Assessment Committee recommends current drought alert to expire as planned
After a record wet start in July, the newest drought monitor currently shows that fewer than 2% of the state is now dealing with dry conditions. This has been a sharp turnaround from a years-long drought that forced the state to issue a continuous drought alert for impacts to agriculture and commercial industries.
An initial drought alert was declared in July 2022 lasting into the spring of the following year. A brief break allowed the alert to expire in April 2023, before a new drought alert was declared in May 2023. That alert has now stretched a full year into the current summer but it may finally come to an end after recent relief.
The Agriculture Impact Team stated that corn and soybeans are the best they've seen in years, and hay yields are also above average. The National Weather Service also reports that Missouri is now in its fourth straight month of above-average rainfall.
The Missouri Drought Assessment Committee recommended on Friday to Gov. Mike Parson that the current drought alert be allowed to expire at the current Sept. 1 mark. The committee will remain vigilant between now and then but the drought forecast is showing good positive changes locally.
