93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
With no rain in sight for the next several days, Missouri’s governor will be announcing details Thursday afternoon about actions he’ll take to aid Missouri’s farmers and ranchers who are battling the worsening drought.
Governor Mike Parson has called a 2 o’clock press conference at the Statehouse in Jefferson City, where he’ll be joined by state Department of Agriculture (MDA) director Chris Chinn, state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) director Dru Buntin and state Department of Conservation director Sara Parker Pauley.
The drought is impacting row crop and livestock producers across the state. Agriculture is Missouri’s largest industry.
Columbia has received just 1.14 inches of rain in July, which is 1.7 inches below normal. National Weather Service (NWS) St. Louis meteorologist Alex Elmore tells 939 the Eagle that Columbia had 2.61 inches of rain in June, 1.6 inches below normal.
While temperatures will likely hit the 100-degree mark in Columbia today, central Missouri is not under a heat advisory. NWS St. Louis meteorologist Matt Beitscher says there are criteria that must be met for a heat advisory: either a heat index that day of 105 or four straight days of 100 degree or more heat indexes.
