Serious drought conditions cause problems for southwest Missouri

LAMAR, Mo. — In recent weeks, little to no meaningful rainfall across the Four State region has become a dangerous problem, especially for those living near Interstate 49 where drought conditions have been upgraded from "moderate" to "serious."

"I did have one individual that said he started a fire with his lawn mower just last night. He was able to put it out, but that just tells you one little flint piece of rock hit and sparks started, and then the wind from his mower kind of aided it," said Lamar Fire Department Captain, Dayne Shoff.

While the State of Missouri has not implemented any burn bans, local fire departments are asking people to hold off on burning, and to be aware of what could spark a fire.

"You talk about throwing out a cigarette on the highway and with the wind along the highway will start one. Just simple little things could start a big fire," said Captain Shoff.

The lack of recent rainfall is also affecting race fans. The pond at Nevada Speedway is nearly dry, which means there's not enough water to wet down their dirt racetrack.

"Nevada has one pond and supposedly they're digging it deeper this weekend, so hopefully they're getting a good head start on that so they can get that thing filled up pretty quickly," said Mike Parker, owner of Electric City Speedway.

Because of the low water level, this weekend's race at Nevada Speedway has been moved to Electric City Speedway in Butler, where they can pull water from more than one pond.

With several races still to go this season, both speedways are in dire need of a good rain.

"It takes a lot of rain to get a pond full. If you get a one-hour downpour, it's really not going to do much for you. We really need a soaking, steady rain for half-a-day or longer to see any rise in the ponds at all," said Parker.