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Governor's Order Declares Drought

Most recent drought infographic from the U.S. Drought Monitor
Image courtesy: U.S. Drought Monitor / droughtmonitor.unl.edu
Most recent drought infographic from the U.S. Drought Monitor

After a wet spring, almost no Missouri Counties were experiencing any drought in July. Now, almost every county is.

Governor Mike Parson signed an Executive Order today declaring a drought alert in Missouri until next March 31, 2025.

The Executive Order is in response to moderate, severe or extreme drought conditions in dozens of Missouri and in preparation for any additional county that begins experiencing drought.

In a statement Gov. Parson said that healthy rain this past spring allowed the state to let our previous drought alert expire, but we’ve had a dry hot summer and start to autumn.

The University of Missouri’s Climate Center’s most recent report covers August data. They found rain in August was almost an inch below average. Dry hot conditions have also contributed to fires in the state.

In response to this Executive Order, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources will activate the Drought Assessment Committee, a workgroup set up to assess drought levels and work with impact teams on response and recovery recommendations.

The state invites local condition reports to better understand impacts and provide timely and appropriate assistance. Citizens can submit information about local drought conditions at Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR).

Find more information at www.dnr.mo.gov/drought.