Area drought conditions ease

Recent rains, including 0.79 inches received Wednesday, Aug. 9, in Cape Girardeau and another one-third of an inch that fell in the early morning hours of Thursday, Aug. 10, figure to further curtail drought conditions in the three-county region of Cape Girardeau, Perry and Scott.

The most recent Drought Monitor Missouri map containing data collected through Tuesday, Aug. 8, shows drought was already starting to recede locally before the most recent midweek precipitation.

County report

* Cape Girardeau: 3% in moderate drought confined to the county’s extreme southwestern corner impacting 2,300 people. Fifty-six percent of the county is considered abnormally dry.

* Perry: 0% of the county is in drought, with 9% considered abnormally dry.

* Scott: 62% is in moderate drought in the county’s western half affecting 24,000 people. Otherwise, Scott is considered abnormally dry.

* Mississippi: 37% is abnormally dry in the eastern half of the county.

* New Madrid: 91% of the county is abnormally dry with 7% in the northwest corner of the county considered in moderate drought.

* Stoddard: 79% is in moderate drought with the remaining percentage in the southern half of the county considered abnormally dry.

Most recent available data from National Weather Service officials in Paducah, Kentucky, show temperatures no higher than the upper 80s through Sunday with rain chances of less than 50% through the period.

Of note

On July 21, Gov. Mike Parson issued an executive order to the state Department of Natural Resources to activate DNR’s drought assessment committee, empowering all state agencies to assess whether administrative rules may be suspended to help farmers and other landowners affected.

“I know on my farm that conditions have deteriorated quickly, and we are hearing the same reports from countless other farm and ranch families across the state,” Parson said at the time. “Our farmers are a critical resource for our state, and it is important that we assist them as much as possible through this difficult time.”

Summary

U.S. Drought Monitor released the following assessment of Midwest drought conditions Tuesday: “Heavy rainfall of 2 to 8 inches during the first week of August prompted widespread improvements to Missouri, southern Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.”