STE. GENEVIEVE – Conditions for Sainte Genevieve worsened from No Drought to Abnormally Dry (D0), according to this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor.
The Climate Prediction Center’s December Drought Outlook, released on November 30, 2025, predicted that drought conditions would not develop in December.
Drought and its impacts vary from region to region—due to differences in climate. Precipitation extremes in the Midwest have a major impact on the region’s resources, economic sectors, and residents.
Over the last century, precipitation trends in the Midwest have been moving towards wetter conditions and fewer droughts than the region experienced in the early 20th century. However, the Midwest has still felt adverse impacts during recent droughts, particularly in 1988 and 2012.
These adverse impacts include limited barge transportation on major rivers, decreased agricultural production, challenges for municipal water supply and quality, and reduced productivity for hydropower. In fall 2022, drought conditions across portions of the Mississippi River Basin caused river levels to drastically lower, which had a significant impact on the transportation of goods along the river.
An added challenge in recent years has been the tendency to transition from drought to flood and back to drought within short time spans, sometimes within a matter of months, as well as flash drought, which is a drought that intensifies rapidly.
NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) launched the Midwest Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) in response to the 2012 drought, which highlighted the need for additional drought early warning and preparedness in the region.
The Midwest DEWS is a network of regional and national partners that share information and coordinate actions to help communities in the region cope with drought. Missouri is also part of the Missouri River Basin DEWS.