Drought in Saint Charles County, MO: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

Saint Charles 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 (17 wk), 2005 (14 wk), 2006 (16 wk), 2007 (19 wk), 2012 (26 wk), 2013 (21 wk), 2014 (13 wk), 2017 (19 wk) and 2023 (15 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2022.

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

42nd most drought-prone of 115 MO counties; the MO middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Warren County (3.5 in 10) and Putnam 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 (22% of weeks), then Dec (21%) and Sep (21%). Least in May (4%). May to September averages 12%.

16 Jan
16 Feb
18 Mar
4 Apr
4 May
7 Jun
11 Jul
16 Aug
21 Sep
22 Oct
21 Nov
21 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 26 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 14.6% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 2.5% at D2, 0.4% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 31 weeks, Jul 3, 2012 to Jan 29, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2023, 15 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 4.4 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 6 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.