This region in Missouri is suffering historic drought.
Yesterday morning (August 1) before the heat of the day became crushing I went to walk the dried out bed of the Meramec River where it runs between Fenton and Sunset Hills. At "normal" water levels the river averages between 200 and 300 feet wide at this point. But with very little appreciable rain this season, it is maybe half that width at the surface, and so a very small fraction of its normal volume. There is no runoff from any rain in the valley, so what you see is only what it gets from springs that feed the upper river.

On my way home at 11:00 AM the temperature was already into the nineties. High for the day once again was more than 100 F.

Camera: Pentax *ist digital body with 18 - 55mm zoom lens.
All images are Copyright 2012 E.J.Kowalski