Drought extends more than two weeks

SIKESTON -- It's been two-and-a-half weeks since a significant amount of rain has fallen in Sikeston.

And forecasters aren't sure when to expect any precipitation to dampen the dry land.

"It's been an abnormally dry stretch here over the past couple of weekends," said Dan Spaeth, a meterologist with the National Weather Service's office in Paducah, Ky. "Basically the storm track has remained up over Canada or the Canadian border."

According to the Sikeston Power Plant, which serves as an official recording station for the U.S. Weather Service, the last rainfall recorded was .95 inch, on July 20.

Based on computer models, there is no decent chance of rain through the week, Spaeth said.