‘Extreme Drought’ Forecast to Hit Right in the Heart of Missouri

We live in an era of extremes. While parts of Missouri and Illinois are flooding, others remain parched. It's so bad in the middle of Missouri that a new forecast now says the middle of the Show Me State can expect "extreme drought".

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This new update shared by the National Weather Service shows that while rivers in some areas flood, the ground in the middle of Missouri is in trouble. The drought conditions are forecast to worsen as Spring continues.

As you can see from the National Weather Service graphic, severe drought affects nearly all of the middle of the state with even the northern and southernmost areas still expected to remain abnormally dry. It's right in the middle of Missouri in the red area on the map where major crop and pasture losses are now expected. The National Weather Service forecast says to expect "widespread water shortages or restrictions". Not good during planting season especially.

There are two problems. The lack of Spring rain in these areas early during the season and the fact that the forecast and trend shows that the chance of rainfall is decreasing at least for the next few weeks. It's a crucial period where many fields will live or die depending on if this weather pattern persists or a wetter period takes over.