Drought exits tri-county area

Cape Girardeau, Perry and Scott counties have emerged from drought although "abnormally dry" conditions, not considered a drought category, are still found in all three.

In the most recent Drought Monitor Missouri map released Thursday, Sept. 28, only the southeastern tip of Cape Girardeau County is shown as abnormally dry, a designation used by National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) to show areas either going into or coming out of drought. Dryness levels are notably higher elsewhere in the tri-county region.

National Weather Service defines drought as "deficiency of moisture that results in adverse impacts on people, animals, or vegetation over a sizable area."

Abnormal dryness levels Sept. 28

• Cape Girardeau County: 4%.
• Perry County: 71%.
• Scott County: 60%.

History

• May 31: Gov. Mike Parson signed an executive order declaring a drought alert in Missouri;
• June 29: Cape Girardeau County Commission issued a no burn advisory because of fire danger based on drought conditions.
• July 20: Cape Girardeau County Commission lifted its no burn advisory following significant rainfall.

Analysis

"Over the last century, precipitation trends in the Midwest have been moving towards wetter conditions and fewer droughts than the region experienced in the early 20th century. However, the Midwest has still felt adverse impacts during recent droughts, particularly in 1988 and 2012. These adverse impacts include limited barge transportation on major rivers, decreased agricultural production, challenges for municipal water supply and quality and reduced productivity for hydropower. In fall 2022, drought conditions across portions of the Mississippi River Basin caused river levels to drastically lower, which had a significant impact on the transportation of goods along the river," read an NIDIS statement.

A new Drought Monitor Missouri map will be released at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 5.