Farmers worried about persistent drought conditions similar to last summer can breathe a humid sigh of relief.
Most of Missouri, including Callaway County, are drought-free according to U.S. Drought Monitor data for Missouri as of Tuesday.
This predates heavy rainfalls that fell in mid-Missouri, causing many flash floods in Callaway. The county received two to five inches of rain in the past two days according to the National Weather Service's observed precipitation analysis.
The elevation in precipitation and resulting ground moisture is welcome news in much of the agriculture world compared to last year, in which a relatively snow-free winter and dry, hot summer gave way to one of the worst droughts in recent memory. However, there can be too much of a good thing, warns MU Extension Assistant Professor of Climatology Pat Guinan.