Region still dry despite recent rains

While Southeast Missouri has enjoyed a few showers in the past week, the wet weather has been hit or miss and most of the region is still considered to be in abnormally dry conditions.

"Southeastern Missouri seems to be under the gun this year in regards to the dry spell in Missouri," said Pat Guinan, climatologist with University of Missouri Extension commercial agriculture program. The area "has seen more association with that severe drought going on in the southeastern states."

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows Southeast Missouri in the outer rim of dry conditions that ripple out from Alabama and Mississippi. The region is listed as abnormally dry. The National Weather Service updates the Drought Monitor to show weekly documentation of drought conditions in the country, the most recent of which was through June 19.

The scattered showers over the weekend provided a slight break from the dry conditions, Guinan said, "but there have been portions of the Bootheel that missed out on that relief."

"You have to look at the big picture. Even though you might receive an inch or two inches in a couple days, you don't necessarily make up the deficit," he said.

The rain that passed through the area watered only certain parts of Cape Girardeau County. It was a welcome relief, but "it's not something you can count on," according to Kenny Kight, manager at Garden Hill Nursery. Sunday's thunderstorm drenched the city, but missed the nursery, located northwest of Cape Girardeau.

"It thundered and looked like it was going to rain," he said. "But nary a drop."

"It's been really dry until recently," Kight said. A few customers have shared concerns about the lack of rain, but Kight said he hasn't noticed the weather influencing which plants people purchase.

Black-eyed Susans are popular because they can handle heat well and have a long blooming season.

"You see them in the dead of summer when you get a six-week drought and they're still going strong," Kight said.

"I always suggest using native plants," he said. "They're not going to need as much water."

Good native alternatives, he said, include monardas and phygelia.

Even indigenous plants can dry up for lack of rain, though. Kight suggests sticking a finger in the dirt beside the stem.

"If it sticks to your finger, it's fine," he said. "If it cracks and falls away, it's dry."

There are ways to take advantage of the rain when it does hit. Margaret Trager, an employee at The Plant Lady's Corner, advises catching runoff with a bucket or a store-bought trough.

Companies also make products that help make the most of watering. The small granules in SoilMoist absorb extra water and continuously release it into the soil.

"It kind of expands," Trager said. "Kind of the way a diaper does."

The Missouri field office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported enough rainfall to keep corn and soybeans stable but more is needed for crops in development stages. The USDA reported less than half an inch of rain fell in Cape Girardeau County in the week ending June 24.

Southeast Missouri isn't in the red for a drought yet. Declaring a drought and setting water use restrictions depends on the area's resources more than its rainfall. Aquifers and reservoirs play into the decision, Guinan said.

"Drought is an evolving sort of condition," he said. "It's a feast-or-famine sort of scenario."

charris@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246