Portions of county experiencing extreme drought conditions

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

The Barry County Commission has issued a countywide burn ban, effective Sept. 10 and until further notice, as the county is in the midst of experiencing extreme or severe drought.

The order states that upon determination by the state fire marshal, a burn ban is appropriate because of exceptional drought, and violating the ban may carry a penalty of up to a Class A misdemeanor.

“The County Commission hereby enacts this Order prohibiting burning on a countywide basis until further notice and until the conditions set forth in section 49.266.3, RSMo., giving rise to this Order no longer exist, except that state agencies responsible for fire management or suppression activities and person conducting agricultural burning using best management practices shall not be subject to the provisions of section 49.266.3, RSMo.,” the order states. “And this section, and further, the ability of an individual, organization, or corporation to sell fireworks shall not be affected by the issuance of this burn ban; however, this Order prohibits the explosion or ignition of any missile or skyrocket as the terms ‘missile’ and ‘skyrocket’ are defines by the 2012 edition of the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory, but shall not ban the explosion or ignition of any other consumer fireworks as the term ‘consumer fireworks’ is defined under the section 320.106, RSMo.”

According to a press release from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield, Barry County is among the southwest Missouri counties seeing significant deterioration in drought conditions. The NWS reported Sept. 10 that Extreme Drought (D3) had expanded into northern portions of Barry County, while Severe Drought (D2) also had expanded to the central and southern parts of the county, as well as across the region. Southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas were identified as experiencing the worst drought conditions in the state.

The drought has developed rapidly because of a combination of very little rainfall and unusually high temperatures. The NWS reported that precipitation during the previous 30 days had been “well below normal to nonexistent” in some areas. The first seven days of September were the warmest start to September on record at the Springfield climate site, according to the statement. The heat and lack of rain have caused soil and vegetation conditions to deteriorate rapidly.

Agriculture is already seeing some of the most significant effects. The NWS reported an increasing number of severe drought observations, including reports from areas outside the formally designated D2 drought zone.

Reported impacts include: Crop yield losses, increased need for supplemental livestock feeding, reduced pasture and forage, little or no pasture regrowth, browning grass, increased invasive plants and weeds, oncreasing dust and deteriorating air quality caused by dry soils, drying ponds, increased dependence on wells (some of which are running low), and heat stress on cattle, including reported cattle deaths in some instances.

Soil moisture is particularly concerning. The NWS reported that soil moisture was well below normal, falling between the 1st and 10th percentiles in many locations across southern Missouri.

The drought is also beginning to show up in waterways. USGS data cited by the NWS showed that most streamflows across the region were normal to below normal, with some isolated stream gauges registering much-below-normal flows, below the 10th percentile.

Drought also presents an elevated fire danger, and the NWS has seen a modest increase in fire activity, particularly in areas classified D1 through D3, suggesting an early start to the fire season. Isolated instances of extreme fire behavior are possible where fuels have become sufficiently dry and preheated.

However, the broader September and October outlook calls for near-normal probabilities of significant wildfire potential in Missouri and Kansas, with higher-than-normal probabilities in neighboring areas to the south.

There is some potential relief in the short-term forecast. The NWS expected several chances for rain during the following week, with most locations forecast to receive roughly 0.5 to 2.5 inches, although rainfall could vary considerably and some areas could receive locally higher amounts from multiple thunderstorms.

But, the forecast does not suggest the drought is over. The Climate Prediction Center continued to identify much of southwest Missouri as being at risk for rapid-onset drought and extreme heat during Sept. 17-23. Areas that had already experienced rapid-onset drought were expected to see conditions persist or worsen.

The monthly outlook calls for above-normal temperatures to continue through September, and despite anticipated rainfall, precipitation for the month is expected to finish below normal on average. The longer-range drought outlook calls for drought to develop or persist over the next one to three months.