Mid-Missouri sees first dry month since winter as summer heat takes hold
For the first time since winter, Mid-Missouri may see a month with lower-than-normal precipitation, as heat domes dominated most of July and kept rain amounts low.
Through July 29th, Columbia has recorded 1.46 inches of rain in July so far, compared to an average of 4.13 inches for the month. That's less than half of the normal rainfall seen in midsummer, and a steep drop from previous wetter months.
Rain totals exceeded 8 inches each month in Columbia from April to June, totaling 25 inches of rain by June 30th. That's the 3rd wettest April to June on record, and the 7th wettest 3-month period ever for Columbia.
A wet summer has felt like a blast to the past at times (Who remembers seeing this many lightning bugs?), but it has also been dangerous. Flash flooding has become an almost weekly occurrence in parts of the state, and a 1 in 1000-year flood occurred in early July due to torrential rainfall in south-central MO.
This deluge has kept drought far from our minds, and much of the state is abnormally or moderately wet according to the National Drought Mitigation Center's Short-Term Composite Drought Indicator Percentiles.
The Composite Drought Indicator is an experimental product that combines the Drought Monitor, Standardized Precipitation Index, soil and vegetation moisture, and other precipitation variables across several timescales. This combination allows for a more complete assessment of drought conditions in an area.
Missouri farmers relished the wetness of spring and early summer that allowed crops to grow and mature, and the USDA reports over 60% of Missouri soybeans and corn are in good to excellent condition.
But the lack of rainfall recently threatens to undo the relief from recent months. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 16% of Missouri is currently drier than normal, including parts of Mid-Missouri in Macon, Randolph, Chariton, Monroe, and Audrain counties.
The Bootheel is still in the throes of a drought that stubbornly persisted through recent months; over 2% of the state is in moderate drought along the Missouri-Arkansas border.
But summer isn't over yet, and it could still end on a wetter note. The Climate Prediction Center's monthly precipitation outlook for August indicates near-to-above-average rain in the Upper Midwest, including northern Missouri.
Likewise, the CPC's seasonal drought outlook from mid-July through early October indicates drought improvement or removal is possible in the Bootheel, and drought is not expected to develop anywhere else in the state in the coming months.
