Areas Throughout State Beginning To Dry Up

Several areas of Missouri are beginning to dry up as the first month of meteorological summer came to an end Sunday.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, northeastern Missouri, spots in western Missouri and north of St. Louis are abnormally dry.

Adair, Shelby, Sullivan, Linn, Monroe, Marion and Knox counties are experiencing moderate drought.

Three-quarters of the state is not experiencing any drought conditions.

Flooding from Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota is pushing south along the Missouri River.

One of the wettest Aprils on record helped to eliminate most of Missouri’s drought conditions, which persisted even in winter.

Missourians experienced the 15th-wettest April on record. 

Only 7 percent of Missouri was not experiencing any sort of drought conditions at the beginning of 2024, which April’s showers reversed. 

However, a hot start to summer and below-average precipitation could dry up the state again.

Missourians on June 25 experienced the 11th earliest 100-degree day since 1874. Temperatures reached 103 degrees in St. Louis, according to the National Weather Service.

The St. Louis region received a little more than an inch of rain throughout June, compared to the average of 4.5 inches.

Independence Day

The state fire marshal’s office said that even though drought conditions have eased over the last year, they are still urging extreme caution.

“Across the country, fireworks killed 11 people in 2022, with the youngest victim being only 11 years old,” State Fire Marshal Tim Bean said. The most spectacular sights are at public displays put on by professionals. If folks choose to use consumer fireworks, please handle them with extreme caution and do not allow children to use fireworks.”

In 2023 in Missouri, 334 people went to emergency rooms because of fireworks injuries; 30 of them were admitted to the hospital.

About 40 percent of Independence Day structure fires are the result of fireworks, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Nationally, about 250 people go to emergency rooms each day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around July 4th. Fireworks start an average of 18,500 fires a year.