Days after Governor Mike Parson issued his third drought emergency declaration in two years, conditions across Missouri continue to worsen, including in several of our area counties.

The U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday morning shows most of Johnson County along with central and southern Pettis County falling into severe drought, the second of four levels. Severe drought also crept east into Lafayette County, but those conditions are largely along and west of Route 131. Carroll, Cooper and Saline counties remain unchanged in moderate drought, as does Howard County, where the southern half is in moderate drought while the northern half northern half remains abnormally dry. A majority of Chariton County is also in abnormal dryness.

Statewide, the worst drought conditions now cover 17.84% of Missouri, with extreme drought spreading across the Lake of the Ozarks in the past week into the western third of Maries County and the northern half of Pulaski County. Extreme drought has also arrived in southeastern Cass, most of Henry, and the southern halves of Benton and Morgan counties. 74.04% of Missouri is in some stage of drought, with another 20.77% in abnormal dryness.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.