ST. LOUIS — It's Thursday and that means we've got a recent update to the drought monitor. The good news? Many of us received some beneficial rain last night. Totals average 1-2 inches or even more, in some spots.
This was good news, but we need a lot more to catch up.
Our most recent drought monitor has included the state of Missouri in Exceptional drought for the first time since August 28, 2012. While this only includes Cole, Moniteau, and Osage counties, it's a sign of just how significantly dry it's been recently.
One note: the rain from last night has not been included in this, as data collection stops each Tuesday evening.
Looking back over the last month, you can really see how the localized rainfall has made a difference in some areas, but not everyone is getting the necessary rain. This is very typical of the rain this time of the year, but we really have struggled overall. Especially areas south of the City of St. Louis have been very dry.
One of the most telling things to me, is this soil moisture map. Most of our area is between 1 and 10% of normal! This extends all the way up the Mississippi River as well. So it's going to take a lot more than 1-2 inches of rain to end this problem.
While the next week of rain chances isn't going to end the drought, there will be some improvements.
With so many storm chances ahead, we will average between 1-2 inches of rain over the next week. There will be locally heavier amounts possible, especially Friday. More on that in another story later today.
