St. Louis' weather forecast this week is rain, rain and more rain, yet that's good news for a region that's in the midst of a drought.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jayson Gosselin says a dry weather pattern began last summer. He says that dry pattern continued into the fall — typically the wetter part of the year in Missouri — creating moderate to extreme drought throughout the state.
"In terms of precipitation deficits since that time, anywhere from 8 to as much as 16 inches below normal, for that six to seven months," Gosselin said.
But the additional rainfall throughout this week could begin to turn things around for much of the region.
“So, there’s lots of good news looking ahead,” Gosselin said. “Basically from now through early this weekend, [it] looks like a lot of areas are going to get at least a couple of inches of rain; and there’s a possibility of anywhere from 3 to 5 [inches of accumulated rainfall] by Saturday.”
Current drought-like conditions are not unique to Missouri. Several states, including parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, are experiencing an extreme drought.
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