Friday, July 29, 2005
Contact: Spence Jackson or Jessica Robinson, (573) 751-0290
Missouri Drought Worsens
JEFFERSON CITY—Drought conditions are worsening across much of Missouri, as a result of low rainfall and very high temperatures. Missouri’s Drought Assessment Committee announced today that 30 Missouri counties have progressed to the drought conservation phase. Another 35 counties are under a drought alert, and 40 are under a drought advisory. Prolonged dry weather persisting over much of Missouri has expanded the overall area of drought concern.
Rainfall deficits in parts of Missouri exceed 8 inches over the last three months, with much of the shortfall occurring within the last six weeks. Combined with triple-digit temperatures last week, these deficits have caused a significant deterioration of conditions. The hardest hit area stretches from near Springfield to Hannibal where both the Missouri Drought Assessment Committee and the National Drought Mitigation Center have identified extreme drought conditions. As August begins, only a few areas in western to northwestern Missouri have been spared from the drought. While most of southeastern Missouri benefited from ample rain from the remnants of hurricane Dennis, more rain is needed to prevent a worsening of conditions there.
Missouri farmers and their livestock are feeling the worst effects of the drought. The Missouri Department of Agriculture reports that farm and crop conditions continue to decline, especially across northeast, central and southwest portions of the state. Yields of both corn and soybeans will be negatively impacted across the drought areas. The Missouri Agriculture Statistics Service reports that 37 percent of corn and 33 percent of soybeans are listed as poor or very poor. Pastures are hit the hardest with 75 percent listed as poor or very poor. Reports received from across the state indicate ponds drying up, early feeding of hay to livestock, and livestock stress, with some livestock and poultry death losses due to extreme heat stress.
While water supplies struggled to meet demand when temperatures exceeded 100 degrees last week, most systems currently have some excess capacity. There have been only scattered reports of low drinking water supplies.
The counties under drought conservation, drought advisory and drought alert as of July 29, 2005, are listed below:
- Phase 1 – Advisory phase (40 counties): Barry, Bates, Bollinger, Butler, Caldwell, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Cass, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Douglas, Dunklin, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Iron, Lafayette, Madison, McDonald, Mercer, Mississippi, New Madrid, Newton, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Putnam, Ray, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Vernon, and Wayne counties.
- Phase 2 – Drought alert (35 counties): Adair, Barton, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Crawford, Dent, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Henry, Howell, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Oregon, Phelps, Pulaski, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Shannon, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Louis County, Texas, Warren, Washington, Webster, and Wright counties.
- Phase 3 – Conservation phase (30 counties): Audrain, Benton, Boone, Callaway, Camden, Clark, Cole, Cooper, Dade, Dallas, Hickory, Howard, Knox, Laclede, Lewis, Lincoln, Maries, Marion, Miller, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Osage, Pettis, Pike, Polk, Ralls, Randolph, and Shelby counties.
- No Drought (9 counties): Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Clay, Holt, Jackson, Nodaway, Platte, Worth counties.
To view the current drought status map, visit the department’s Drought Information Web page at: http://www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/droughtupdate.htm
Missouri’s Drought Response Plan defines four phases of drought status. These are levels of increasing concern based on the severity of the lack of moisture and corresponding:
- Phase 1 - Advisory phase – below normal rainfall has occurred for several months. This is the beginning of a county’s monitoring by the Climate and Weather Committee of the Drought Assessment Committee.
- Phase 2 - Drought alert – plants begin to show stress, stream levels drop, and rainfall is below normal for many months. Pond levels begin to noticeably fall.
- Phase 3: Conservation phase – streams are dry, river and lake levels are falling below what is expected to occur once every 10 years, soil moisture is approaching wilting point for plants and dry weather is expected to continue. Groundwater recharge has stopped. Water supplies should begin supplementing and conserving.
- Phase 4: Emergency phase – many ponds and streams are dry, river stages at record daily lows, crops cannot recover, trees begin to wilt, shallow and high use water levels drop below pumps, water rationing and hauling is needed.
The Missouri Drought Assessment Committee is responsible for assessing drought conditions across the state and recommending actions to ease the drought's adverse effects. Agencies represented on the committee include the state departments of Natural Resources, Agriculture, Public Safety, Health and Senior Services, Conservation and Economic Development; the U.S. departments of Commerce, Agriculture and Interior; the U.S. Army; the University of Missouri-Columbia; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
For more information, call the Missouri Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-361-4827 or contact the department’s Water Resources Program at (573) 751-2867.
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