Branson and the Ozarks remain locked in a prolonged dry spell, with a new drought assessment released Thursday showing extreme drought expanding across Taney and Stone counties.
The October 8 U.S. Drought Monitor update places all of Stone County and most of Taney County in extreme drought. The remainder of Taney County is in severe drought. Both counties saw extreme drought expand compared with last week’s assessment.
The update underscores the persistent shortage of rain across southwest Missouri. At Springfield’s official weather station, only 0.62 inch of rain fell from September 1 through October 7—more than 4.5 inches below normal for that period. Although rainfall varies across the region, the measurements illustrate how little moisture recent weather has delivered.
Meaningful relief appears unlikely for Branson through the weekend. The National Weather Service expects continued warm weather, with highs generally in the middle to upper 80s.
Across the state line, portions of Benton County, Arkansas remain in exceptional drought, which is the most intense classification on the Drought Monitor’s scale. Some areas of northern Arkansas actually received enough rain for modest improvement in Thursday’s update, while portions of southern Missouri continued to deteriorate.
Forecasters are watching for a possible weather-pattern change late next week, but the timing and rainfall potential remain uncertain. Until more widespread rain arrives, the drought will continue.
