JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 4, 2023 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Drought Assessment Committee will convene Monday, Dec. 18, to continue coordinating a comprehensive state and federal response to drought conditions affecting portions of the state.
This will be the Drought Assessment Committee’s first meeting since Governor Mike Parson last month extended Executive Order 23-05 to continue the state’s drought alert to May 1, 2024. Missouri has been under a drought alert continuously for the past six months. A previous drought alert was also active from July 2022 to March 2023.
The Drought Assessment Committee will meet at 2 p.m. Dec. 18 in the LaCharrette/Nightingale conference rooms of the Lewis and Clark State Office Building, located at 1101 N. Riverside Drive in Jefferson City. The meeting is open to the public and will also be livestreamed via Webex at stateofmo.webex.com/stateofmo/j.php?MTID=m8c1e24a627812a2099370b81f431828f.
The Drought Assessment Committee comprises representatives from state and federal partner agencies who provide information, recommendations and coordination to mitigate impacts of the drought. Executive Order 23-05 declared a drought alert for Missouri counties that are in moderate, severe or extreme drought. Nearly all of Missouri has experienced at least abnormally dry conditions this year.
Residents are encouraged to assist local, state and national decision makers better understand drought conditions in their area by submitting a survey form via the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports service at droughtimpacts.unl.edu/Tools/ConditionMonitoringObservations.aspx.
Updated drought information, including a link to the U.S. Drought Monitor map of Missouri, is available at dnr.mo.gov/drought.