Missouri Drought Assessment Committee Meeting This Month

Dried and cracked earth north west of the NSW township of Wee Waa (Alpha Image Library)

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Drought Assessment Committee will convene on Monday, December 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. December 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 live-streamed via Webex.

The Drought Assessment Committee comprises representatives from state and federal partner agencies who provide information, recommendations, and coordination to mitigate the impacts of the drought.

Executive Order 23-05 declared a drought alert for Missouri counties in moderate, severe, or extreme drought.

Nearly all of Missouri has experienced at least abnormally dry conditions this year.