Drought Information Statement
Issued by NWS Springfield, MO

000
AXUS73 KSGF 231422
DGTSGF

Drought Information Statement
National Weather Service Springfield MO
921 AM CDT Thu Mar 23 2023


...Severe Drought (D2) Expands into Far West-Central Missouri...

.Synopsis...

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, Severe (D2) Drought
has expanded slightly over southeast Kansas and into far west-
central Missouri. D2 Drought now covers northwest Cherokee County,
all of Crawford County and southern Bourbon County. In west-central
Missouri, this includes far western Barton County and extreme
southwestern Vernon County. Cities in the D2 Drought area include
McCune, Girard, and Pittsburg in Kansas, and Mindenmines in Missouri.

Surrounding the severe (D2) drought area, moderate (D1) drought now
covers northeast, central and southwest Cherokee County and all but
far northern Bourbon County in southeast Kansas. In southwest
Missouri, this includes the southwestern half of Vernon County, all
but far southeast Barton County, and far northwest Jasper County.
Cities in D1 Drought area include Columbus and Fort Scott in
Kansas, and Lamar and Nevada in Missouri.

Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions expanded slightly on the eastern edge
of the D1 area and include northern Bourbon County and southeast
Cherokee County in southeast Kansas; and northern Vernon, southeast
Barton, and northwest Jasper Counties in southwest Missouri.

Precipitation...

Over the past week, precipitation was around 0.25 to 0.75 inches in
drought areas. Over the rest of the region, precipitation
accumulations averaged around 0.5 to 1.0 inches, with portions of
far south-central Missouri seeing 1.0 to 2.0 inches.

During the next 7 days, there will be the potential of up to 0.5 to
1.5 inches over the drought areas of southeast Kansas and west-
central Missouri and 2-5 inches over the remainder of the area.

Soil Moisture...

Soil moisture in the top several inches of the ground ranged from
around 35 percent over southeast Kansas and west central Missouri to
near 50 to 60 percent along the Arkansas border. Information
courtesy of NASA SPoRT.

Stream Conditions...

Average streamflows over the past 7 days were near normal along
parts of the Neosho and Marmaton Basins in southeast Kansas and near
to above normal over the rest of the area. Information courtesy of
the US Geological Survey.

.Summary of Impacts...

No new impacts have been reported.

.Drought Mitigation Actions...

The Missouri Department of Agriculture has an AgriStress Helpline at
833-897-2474, and University of Missouri Extension office has also
set up a Psychological Service Clinic to aid farmers and ranchers.
More information is available at muext.us/PSCFarmRanch.

.Local Climate and Drought Outlook...

Over the next 8 to 14 days (mid March) near normal temperatures and
near to slightly above normal precipitation are favored.

By the end of June, drought is expected to be removed from southwest
Missouri and improve over southeast Kansas. Elsewhere, drought
conditions are not expected to develop.

Next Issuance Date...Thursday, March 30, 2023.

This product will continue to be issued weekly each Thursday until
all locations in the NWS Springfield County Warning Area (CWA) are
no longer designated as being in severe (D2), extreme (D3), or
exceptional drought (D4).

&&

Drought (D0-D4) Classification...

D0 Abnormally Dry
D1 Moderate Drought
D2 Severe Drought
D3 Extreme Drought
D4 Exceptional Drought

RELATED WEBSITES...

Local Weather, Climate, and Water Information:
http://www.weather.gov/sgf

Midwest Climate Center Drought Information Page:
http://mcc.purdue.edu/cliwatch/drought/drought.jsp

Missouri State Climatologist: http://climate.missouri.edu

U.S. Drought Monitor: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

U.S. Drought Portal: http://www.drought.gov

U.S. Drought Reporter: http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/map

Climate Prediction Center: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

National Centers for Environmental Information Drought Termination
and Amelioration: http://ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/drought-
recovery

.Acknowledgement...

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly collaborative effort between a
number of state and federal agencies including the National Weather
Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National
Drought Mitigation Center.

.Contact Information...

If you have any questions or comments, please contact:

Gene Hatch Climate Services Program Leader/Meteorologist National
Weather Service Springfield MO gene.hatch@noaa.gov

or

Megan Terry Service Hydrologist/Meteorologist National Weather
Service Springfield MO megan.terry@noaa.gov

$$

Terry