STATE'S DROUGHT STATUS RECLASSIFIED TO SEVERE

Many people probably aren't aware of it, but as of last week, the drought status in the region was changed from moderate to severe by the National Weather Service. Following that, Gov. Mel Carnahan asked that all 114 Missouri counties be declared disaster areas because of the drought.

Taking a look around, it does appear dry, but "severe drought" and "disaster areas?" The car washes are still running and so is the faucet at home. Most everyone seems to be bathing regularly, too. So where's the drought?

"Drought means different things to different people," said Mary Lamm, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky. "The word is really just a generalization."

Lamm said droughts typically fall into three categories: a hydrological drought when surface waters such as lakes, rivers and ponds dry up; a forestry drought when a large number of trees don't get enough precipitation; and an agricultural drought, which dries up crops.

"The farmers are the ones feeling it now," she said.

In deciding whether a drought is moderate, severe or part of another category, most weather watchers use the Palmer Index, a long-term measure of dryness. It measures the fall in water supply against water needed to keep rivers, reservoirs and soil moisture at normal levels.

Southeast Missouri has the worst score on the Palmer Index of any part of the state.

Based on the index, it would take 8.87 inches of rain to fall in the Bootheel to return conditions to normal, says a report from the Water Resources Program of the state Department of Natural Resources.

Don't expect that soon, Lamm said.

"We are still drying out," she said. "Normal precipitation is being predicted for the area for the next 30 days, but we're now in our driest season of the year."

The dryness has affected all crops, especially soybeans, according to the Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service. It classifies this year's soybeans as 30 percent very poor, 28 percent poor, 26 percent fair, 14 percent good and 3 percent excellent.

The governor had cited the poor conditions of soybeans in his request for the state's agricultural disaster classification. Soybeans are listed as Missouri's top cash crop.

Overall, at least a 50 percent loss of crops in 50 counties is being reported, Carnahan said.

"These are tough times for Missouri farmers, who are already reeling from low commodity prices and now must face this costly blow from Mother Nature," he said in a prepared statement.

If the U.S. Department of Agriculture recognizes the drought disaster, farmers could apply for low-interest loans. The loans can be used to restore or replace property, cover all or part of production costs this year, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize farming operations or refinance debt.

Not every crop is drying up. Grapes do well in drought conditions, said Michael Hayes of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Neb.

State Highway Patrol Sgt. Kevin Glaser said marijuana, unfortunately, also does well.

"Marijuana is a very hearty plant," said Glaser, who supervises the SEMO Drug Task Force. "It can withstand drought well."

The dryness has affected trees and forests, but not significantly, said Janeen Laatsch, a natural history regional biologist with the state Conservation Department.

Some trees are dropping their leaves early, which helps them conserve water, Laatsch said. This is more noticeable on hilltops where there is less soil and that hold less moisture.

"If you were to fly over the Ozarks now you'd see a lot of brown and yellow hilltops," Laatsch said.

The most negative result for tree watchers will be a less colorful autumn. Maples, oaks and hickories are already dropping their leaves even though the time for peak fall colors should be between Oct. 17 and 25, Laatsch said.

Conditions would be worse if areas in the Upper Midwest had not enjoyed good precipitation this year, Lamm said. That water has flowed into the Mississippi River, keeping it from falling to the dangerous levels of the last drought in 1988-89.

This has insulated many communities in the Bootheel that draw water from the river to fight the drought, said Kevin Priester, manager of Alliance Water, which provides for Cape Girardeau.

"We're fortunate here," he said. "We have a good supply of alluvial wells around the river as well as the river itself."

Until last week, Cape Girardeau's water plants were at capacity, Priester said. Some 7 million gallons a day were being treated, but as daytime temperatures have cooled off, so has water use.

"Early in the week we were at 6.5 million gallons a day," Priester said. "It has dropped off to 6 million in the last couple of days."

To make the drought go away, Southeast Missouri needs rain, but just not any rain, Lamm said.

"You need a slow, long soaking rain," she said. "What is really needed right now is a hurricane or tropical storm to come right up the Mississippi River Valley."

From where Missouri sits, Hurricane Floyd was no help at all. "It would have to get over the mountains," Lamm said.

A quick, heavy rain would have little benefit, Hayes said, because the water wouldn't have time to soak into the ground.

"If you're low on reservoir levels, a short, heavy rain is good, but it's not so good for soil moisture," he said. "But at this point, any rain would help."