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

3.1 years in 10

Callaway 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 (19 wk), 2005 (13 wk), 2006 (30 wk), 2007 (16 wk), 2012 (28 wk), 2013 (18 wk), 2018 (25 wk) and 2023 (28 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 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

68th most drought-prone of 115 MO counties; the MO middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Pike County (3.1 in 10) and Ozark 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 (29% of weeks), then Sep (24%) and Aug (24%). Least in Dec (6%). May to September averages 18%.

12 Jan
17 Feb
15 Mar
8 Apr
13 May
11 Jun
17 Jul
24 Aug
24 Sep
29 Oct
20 Nov
6 Dec

The worst year: 2006

2006: 30 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 16.4% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 4.3% at D2, 0.8% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 38 weeks, Jun 19, 2012 to Mar 5, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2023, 28 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.8 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 4 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.