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Flash drought expands from Southern Plains into Ozarks

A climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center says a flash drought has developed in the last two to three weeks stretching from the Southern Plains into parts of the Corn Belt.

“From eastern New Mexico all the way into the Ozarks, even in parts of the south, we started seeing the drought conditions change with the intensification, and even more widespread drought,” says Brian Fuchs. “Just a few weeks prior, we weren’t having really any concerns about that.”

He says Missouri had received adequate moisture until mid-August and then the faucet shut off.

“Especially in southwest Missouri. They’ve been getting above normal temps now for the last two to three weeks and the dryness has settled in,” says Fuchs. “The U.S. Drought Monitor map in the last four weeks, some of those areas in southwest Missouri have really seen a two to three class deteroriation.”

Fuchs says forage supplies are being impacted.

“We will start seeing some animals going to corn stalks and that will help preserve some of these summer pastures these cattle have been on. But I’ve already heard of people using supplemental feeding and even having to haul water in some of these areas. It’s been so dry.”

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows more than 90 percent of the south experiencing dry conditions, including exceptional drought in parts of Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas.

Extreme drought is starting to creep into southwest Missouri this week with 45 percent of the state experiencing dry conditions.