Missouri is fully drought-free for the first time in years

Summer heat is back in full force, but the season has been wetter than usual for much of the area, keeping drought at bay.

In fact, the latest Drought Monitor shows that zero percent of the state is drier than normal for the first time since summer 2022. Portions of north and central Missouri have received over twice their average rainfall in the past 30 days.

Much of this rain results from storm tracks traveling along the edge of heat domes that formed to the south and east. This pattern sends waves of rain over the same areas while bringing intense heat in between.

It’s been a while since Missouri was completely free of drought. The early summer of 2022 was also wetter, but that relief didn't last long. Rainfall dropped below average later that summer and into fall. Consequently, Missouri went from no drought in June 2022 to the entire state being drier than average by October, just four months later.

This serves as a reminder that drought can return quickly during warmer months if rainfall decreases, but this year, that’s unlikely. The extended drought outlook for July through August indicates no development of drought in Missouri, as rainfall is expected to stay near normal. However, drought could develop and persist just west of the area across Kansas, so it’s a trend worth watching if it moves closer to us.