Rainstorm eradicates drought -- for now

Persistent drought devastated corn and soybean crops last year, until corn in fields throughout Vernon County were dry and brittle, like this one, photographed by the Daily Mail in August 2003. However, regular winter precipitation and a recent heavy rain storm brought the area's rainfall average back into normal limits, and at present weather conditions look good for upcoming spring planting activity.

By Lynn A. Wade

Recent heavy rainfall in Missouri has brought Vernon County out of drought conditions, a trend area agriculture producers no doubt hope will continue, according to Wayne Prewitt of the Vernon County University Extension and Outreach Office.

Surveying the standing water that is still common throughout Vernon county following last week's deluge of rain, it may seem obvious that the drought has been broken, and Prewitt agrees that the early March storm was enough to accomplish that -- but three years of below-average rainfall means several other counties in Missouri are still considered drought areas despite last week's heavy storm.

In fact, through the last week in February, Vernon County's average rainfall was still about an inch below normal.

"We've had it better than some counties," Prewitt agreed, but he noted that last year's crops of soybeans -- Vernon County's most widely planted crop -- and corn were devastated by the dry weather in mid-to late-summer.

"It was really bad, last year. We've really had drought conditions for the last three years," Prewitt said, but he's cautiously optimistic that the drought cycle may be relieved. "One would hope the trend would go on this way," Prewitt said, but forecasting in this area is difficult.

Pat Guinan, climatologist at the University of Missouri, said that last week's rainfall totalled anywhere from one to four inches throughout the state, but several counties in northwestern Missouri are still suffering from drought conditions serious enough to impact ground water levels and lake levels. Conditions in those areas -- Atchison, Holt, Nodaway, Worth, Gentry, Andrew, DeKalb, Buchanan, Clinton, and Platte counties remain below average.

Guinan said in a press release that the rainfall last week isn't necessarily a precursor of more to come, however. "Long-range outlooks from the U.S. Weather Service indicate neither above -- nor below -- normal precipitation this spring and summer," throughout the state.