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

2.3 years in 10

Pemiscot 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 (27 wk), 2001 (31 wk), 2007 (15 wk), 2010 (23 wk), 2012 (31 wk) and 2022 (16 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2017, 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

84th most drought-prone of 115 MO counties; the MO middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Dunklin County (2.3 in 10) and Butler 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 (27% of weeks), then Aug (25%) and Sep (23%). Least in Apr (4%). May to September averages 21%.

21 Jan
13 Feb
6 Mar
4 Apr
15 May
19 Jun
21 Jul
25 Aug
23 Sep
27 Oct
21 Nov
12 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 31 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 17.3% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 8.8% at D2, 3.7% at D3, 8 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 33 weeks, Jul 27, 2010 to Mar 8, 2011.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 16 weeks. 2016-2025: 1 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 36 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.