Drought in Barry County, MO: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

Barry County, MO: 9 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2005 (13 wk), 2006 (32 wk), 2011 (19 wk), 2012 (28 wk), 2013 (16 wk), 2017 (18 wk), 2018 (25 wk), 2022 (14 wk) and 2024 (17 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2021.

Keep a lawn, but switch to drought-tolerant grass

Dry years come often enough to kill a thirsty lawn every few summers. Keep the lawn, reseed with a drought-tolerant mix, and put the beds on drip.

If you reseed, use a drought-tolerant mix and do it well clear of Oct, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of MO

31st most drought-prone of 115 MO counties; the MO middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Linn County (3.5 in 10) and Howard County (3.5 in 10). Driest in MO: Jasper County (4.6 in 10). Least drought: Perry County (1.2 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Oct (40% of weeks), then Sep (34%) and Aug (31%). Least in Jun (3%). May to September averages 18%.

20 Jan
18 Feb
14 Mar
9 Apr
5 May
3 Jun
16 Jul
31 Aug
34 Sep
40 Oct
21 Nov
17 Dec

The worst year: 2006

2006: 32 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 19.1% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 7% at D2, 2% at D3, 10 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 44 weeks, Jun 19, 2012 to Apr 16, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2024, 17 weeks. 2016-2025: 4 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 25 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.