Missourians encouraged to submit drought reports

Linda Geist
Writer
University of Missouri Extension

July 24, 2020

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The public is invited to submit information to help local, state and national decision-makers assess drought conditions and impacts in Missouri.

You may submit information about conditions in your area to a new national survey called Drought Condition Monitoring Observations and Reports at arcg.is/18WXbP, said Pat Guinan, University of Missouri Extension climatologist. This is a national survey for reporting conditions and impacts within the U.S. Information from the survey is at droughtimpacts.unl.edu/ConditionMonitoringObservations.aspx.

"The survey and map will be helpful when it comes to assessing drought conditions and compiling impact reports at the local, county and state level," Guinan said.

The survey also lets the user submit information for extremes on the condition spectrum, and everything in between, from severely dry to severely wet. Input from Missourians helps decision-makers gain a more complete and accurate portrayal of drought and flood conditions affecting the Show-Me State, he said.

A related resource is the U.S. Drought Monitor at droughtmonitor.unl.edu, a weekly map that shows the location and intensity of drought in the U.S. The map is based on measurements of climatic, hydrologic and soil conditions as well as reported impacts and observations from hundreds of contributors across the country, including people who contribute to the survey.

Drought Monitor authors assess the data and use their best judgment to create the weekly drought map, Guinan said. Drought reports from the survey are available to the public and archived for future use.

"I encourage your participation," he said. "Nobody knows a drought and its impacts better than a person living in the affected area. Your local input and expertise are valued and will provide additional information for the author to consider when assessing Missouri drought conditions."

The survey allows contributors to upload image files less than 10 MB in size. "Pictures are extremely helpful for map authors when assessing drought at the local level, a picture is worth a thousand words," he said.

The survey was developed by the National Drought Mitigation Center, based at the University of Nebraska, in partnership with the National Integrated Drought Information System.

Source: Pat Guinan, 573-882-5908