Drought map of Missouri as of Mar. 10, 2026 (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.)

The heavy rains over the last week have improved drought and abnormally dry conditions across the state, with two Western Missouri counties returning to normal moisture levels.

The weekly update of the U.S. Drought Monitor, indicating conditions as of Tuesday, Mar. 10, show the end of abnormally dry conditions for most of Jackson and Lafayette counties, along with a northern stretch of Saline County. Areas of Boone, Cooper, Howard, Moniteau, and southern Randolph counties were upgraded from moderate drought to abnormal dryness.

While 94.59% of Missouri remains in drought or abnormal dryness, fewer areas of the state are in drought. This week’s monitor shows 34.88% of the state in moderate drought or worse, 24 percentage points better than the previous week. Just 8.52% of Missouri is in severe or extreme drought, primarily in the south of the state, along with Lewis County in Northeast Missouri.