Drought in Maries County, MO: 2.3 years in 10 since 2000

2.3 years in 10

Maries County, MO: 6 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (14 wk), 2006 (24 wk), 2012 (28 wk), 2023 (30 wk), 2024 (16 wk) and 2025 (15 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 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

91st most drought-prone of 115 MO counties; the MO middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Howell County (2.3 in 10) and Douglas County (2.3 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 (24% of weeks), then Aug (19%) and Jan (19%). Least in Apr (8%). May to September averages 13%.

19 Jan
15 Feb
10 Mar
8 Apr
9 May
10 Jun
15 Jul
19 Aug
12 Sep
24 Oct
17 Nov
9 Dec

The worst year: 2023

2023: 30 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 14% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 4.6% at D2, 0.6% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 42 weeks, Jun 6, 2023 to Mar 19, 2024.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 15 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 1.9 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 11 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.