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

3.5 years in 10

Warren 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 (13 wk), 2006 (26 wk), 2007 (19 wk), 2012 (28 wk), 2013 (25 wk), 2014 (13 wk), 2017 (14 wk) and 2023 (31 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 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 Nov, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of MO

41st most drought-prone of 115 MO counties; the MO middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Lincoln County (3.5 in 10) and Saint Charles 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 Nov (28% of weeks), then Oct (23%) and Aug (21%). Least in Apr (8%). May to September averages 14%.

15 Jan
19 Feb
16 Mar
8 Apr
9 May
9 Jun
12 Jul
21 Aug
20 Sep
23 Oct
28 Nov
18 Dec

The worst year: 2023

2023: 31 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 16.4% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 2.6% at D2, 0.4% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 37 weeks, Jun 19, 2012 to Feb 26, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2023, 31 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 4.4 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 4 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.