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

3.5 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (25 wk), 2002 (21 wk), 2003 (52 wk), 2004 (17 wk), 2006 (24 wk), 2012 (28 wk), 2013 (40 wk), 2018 (29 wk) and 2023 (21 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 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

25th most drought-prone of 115 MO counties; the MO middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Carroll County (3.5 in 10) and Ray 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 (33% of weeks), then Nov (30%) and Dec (24%). Least in May (15%). May to September averages 20%.

17 Jan
18 Feb
19 Mar
20 Apr
15 May
19 Jun
23 Jul
21 Aug
22 Sep
33 Oct
30 Nov
24 Dec

The worst year: 2003

2003: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 21.7% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 10.3% at D2, 4.6% at D3, 3 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 86 weeks, Sep 10, 2002 to Apr 27, 2004.

Lately

Last drought year: 2023, 21 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 4.4 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 0 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.