A stagnant weather system is making drought worse in the Kansas City region

By Steve Kraske,

Published June 29, 2023 at 3:18 PM CDT

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Many corn fields in western Kansas will end up being abandoned because they didn't grow enough grain to harvest. The USDA says more than half of the state’s corn is in poor or very poor condition. — Corn fields in Kansas were in poor condition last fall when extreme drought started. Andy Bailey, acting Meteorologist in Charge for the National Weather Service in Kansas City, says that drought in Kansas has continued for over a year.

The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that 80% of Kansas and 60% of Missouri are experiencing at least moderate drought. In Kansas City, that drought is partially due to a blocking pattern — a weather system that keeps others from moving in.

With most of Kansas and Missouri in drought, Kansas City is dealing with 100 degree temperatures.

"It is unusual to be this dry this early in the summer," said Andy Bailey, the acting Meteorologist in Charge for the National Weather Service in Kansas City.

While the drought is most extreme in central Kansas and central and northeast Missouri, the Kansas City region is seeing some effects, but at varying levels around the metro area.

Johnson County Executive Airport, for example, has recorded less than an inch of rain this month — about 4 inches less than normal. But KCI is only about an inch short for the whole year, Bailey said on KCUR's Up To Date.

The drought around Kansas City can be attributed to blocking patterns that have kept storms out of the region, Bailey said. But climate scientists suggest drought could be becoming more common in the Midwest.

Andy Bailey, acting Meteorologist in Charge for the National Weather Service in Kansas City