Drought in Boone County, MO: 3.1 years in 10 since 2000

3.1 years in 10

Boone County, MO: 8 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (20 wk), 2003 (16 wk), 2006 (30 wk), 2012 (28 wk), 2013 (20 wk), 2018 (25 wk), 2022 (15 wk) and 2023 (40 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020 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

60th most drought-prone of 115 MO counties; the MO middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Cooper County (3.1 in 10) and Greene County (3.1 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 (33% of weeks), then Aug (26%) and Nov (26%). Least in Apr (9%). May to September averages 18%.

18 Jan
23 Feb
19 Mar
9 Apr
13 May
11 Jun
15 Jul
26 Aug
22 Sep
33 Oct
26 Nov
11 Dec

The worst year: 2023

2023: 40 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 18.8% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 6.7% at D2, 1.4% at D3, 6 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 40 weeks, Apr 25, 2023 to Jan 23, 2024.

Lately

Last drought year: 2023, 40 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 4 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.