The Mississippi State University Extension Service is concerned about drought conditions across the state.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows 70% of Mississippi is experiencing severe drought and 21% of the state is in extreme drought. The state has only received about half its normal rainfall this year.

Shel Winkley, senior engagement specialist and meteorologist for Climate Central, said the lack of rainfall is only part of the problem.

"Climate change has intensified the other side of the water cycle as well, allowing for more moisture to be pulled from things like streams, from our soil, from our plants and from our trees," Winkley pointed out. "And there's some recent research that shows us as warming intensifies, evaporative demand increases further."

The Magnolia State usually receives more than 60 inches of rain a year but Winkley said at this point, if the state receives heavy rainfall, it will only slightly improve conditions.

Extension agents say drought conditions typically start later in the year and they are concerned about the planting season. Winkley stressed as the temperature heats up this summer, it will strip away any moisture left in the soil.

"The result of this is increased atmospheric thirst," Winkley explained. "Droughts grow longer, they can be larger, they can get more severe, and that trend intensifies with every little bit of warming that we continue to experience."

If conditions do not improve, the state’s soybean and cotton farmers will be affected the most.

Source: Public News Service