Insider Blog: Drought creeping back up in western Missouri

After a soaked summer with heavy rain and floods for June and July, things are starting to dry up again across the Show Me State. Stubborn drought out west is creeping back in with a third of Missouri now experiencing drier-than-average conditions as of August 7th.

It might be a shock to see drought again after the recent floods but that rainfall only caught us up to where we should be. Conditions dried out again in late July and the rainfall deficit is growing in parts of western Missouri. In the hottest time of year, this deficit strains vegetation and waterways quickly.

Fortunately, an active pattern looks to pick back up for mid to late August. Waves of storms in the forecast may drop several inches of rain across the state in the next week. We will still need to stay caught up on rain to keep this drought from flaring up into the fall.