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Drought Conditions Expand Across Kansas. Missouri is still in Good Shape

Several areas within the Midwest region received 2 inches or more of rain this week, with Missouri experiencing the heaviest thunderstorms – locally over 6 inches. But other parts were dry, with little to no rain falling.

We are certainly in the dog days of summer and the latest report from the National Drought Monitor reflects it.

KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

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Let’s first examine Kansas. Nearly 90 percent of the Sunflower State is classified as drought-stricken this week, including all 12 counties that comprise southeast Kansas. From Coffey County in the northwest, down to Montgomery County on the Oklahoma border, and Cherokee County in the extreme southeast.

Parts of all 12 of the counties are in abnormally or moderate drought. About ten percent of the entire state is classified as in severe drought.

That includes the city of Wichita, also Barber, Harper, and Sumner counties on the Kansas/Oklahoma border. Meanwhile in neighboring Missouri a different story where just short of 70% is not experiencing any drought so far thanks to recent summer storms.

However, all the counties bordering Kansas are classified as either abnormally or moderately drought.

Overall, just over 52% of the US is not experiencing any drought. About 1.5% of the country is classified in extreme drought, mainly in southern New Mexico and west Texas.

Copyright 2024 Four States Public Radio. To see more, visit Four States Public Radio.

Since 2017 Fred Fletcher-Fierro has driven up Highway 171 through thunderstorms, downpours, snow, and ice storms to host KRPS’s Morning Edition. He’s also a daily reporter for the station, covering city government, elections, public safety, arts, entertainment, culture, sports and more. Fred has also spearheaded and overseen a sea change in programming for KRPS from a legacy classical station to one that airs a balance of classical, news, jazz, and cultural programming that better reflects the diverse audience of the Four States. For over two months in the fall of 2022 he worked remotely with NPR staff to relaunch krps.org to an NPR style news and information website.

In the fall of 2023 Fred was promoted to Interim General Manager and was appointed GM in Feburary of 2024.