Missouri's overall drought picture is vastly improved this summer over what it was during last year's extreme heat and dry conditions.
Still, drought remains an immediate threat to portions of the Show-Me State. Mark Fuchs is a hydrologist with theNational Weather Service office in St. Louis.
"We have what we consider 'moderate drought' (D1) from the Kansas City area up to around St. (Joseph) and then up to near the Iowa border," Fuchs said. "Then (we have) what we consider 'abnormally dry' (D0) conditions across most of the northwest half of Missouri and somewhat into south central Missouri along the Arkansas border."
The latest drought monitor survey shows no drought conditions right now in southeast, south central or east central Missouri, and that includes the St. Louis area.
"We are looking at abnormally wet conditions along the Mississippi River and points to the east, where things get progressively wetter across parts of south-central Illinois," Fuchs said.
Fuchs added, though, that soil conditions are getting progressively drier throughout Missouri, especially in the western part of the state.
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