Soil Moisture in Missouri
Soil moisture across Missouri, interpolated from the latest readings at each station and refreshed daily. Brown is drier than normal, teal is wetter than normal.
Across 14 monitoring stations in Missouri, 8 are wetter than normal, 5 are about normal, and 1 is drier than normal. Last updated October 17, 2026. Each station is compared against its own moisture history for this date, not against other stations, so wetter or drier than normal means the same thing at every station.
How This Is Measured
Every reading here is measured by an in-ground sensor at USDA SCAN (Soil Climate Analysis Network) and NOAA USCRN (US Climate Reference Network) stations, at or near the 2-inch root-zone depth, not modeled. A raw moisture percentage is not comparable between two soils, so each station is compared against its own history for the date. That comparison, wetter or drier than this station normally is, is the honest signal. These stations belong to the 326 active USDA and NOAA in-ground monitoring stations Soil Temps reads; only those with a moisture sensor and at least two years of their own history are compared here.
Stations Measuring Soil Moisture in Missouri (14)
| Station | Depth | Moisture | vs. Normal | Last Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter USDA SCAN | 2" | 18% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Elsberry PMC USDA SCAN | 2" | 34% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Journagan Ranch USDA SCAN | 2" | 17% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Mt Vernon USDA SCAN | 2" | 28% | Wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Powell Gardens USDA SCAN | 2" | 46% | Much wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Schell-Osage USDA SCAN | 2" | 41% | Much wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Spickard USDA SCAN | 2" | 24% | Wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| CMRB LTAR-MO USDA SCAN | 2" | 31% | Wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| LTSP USDA SCAN | 2" | 10% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Chillicothe 22 ENE NOAA USCRN | 2" | 33% | Wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Salem 10 W NOAA USCRN | 2" | 11% | Much drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Carver Farm USDA SCAN | 2" | 24% | Wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Sinkin Forest USDA SCAN | 2" | 10% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Shaw Nature Reserve USDA SCAN | 2" | 31% | Much wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
Moisture is the volumetric water content at the sensor. It is not comparable between soils, which is why the “vs. normal” comparison against each station’s own history is the reading to trust. No comparison yet means that station does not yet have enough of its own history for a confident comparison.
Cities in Missouri (25)
Open a city for its nearest station’s current soil moisture and temperature, planting windows, and lawn-care timing.
| City | ZIP |
|---|---|
| Ballwin | 63011 |
| Blue Springs | 64013 |
| Branson | 65615 |
| Cape Girardeau | 63701 |
| Chesterfield | 63005 |
| Columbia | 65201 |
| Fenton | 63026 |
| Florissant | 63031 |
| Hollister | 65672 |
| Independence | 64050 |
| Jefferson City | 65101 |
| Joplin | 64801 |
| Kansas City | 64101 |
| Lees Summit | 64002 |
| Liberty | 64068 |
| O Fallon | 63366 |
| Osceola | 64776 |
| Poplar Bluff | 63901 |
| Rolla | 65401 |
| Saint Charles | 63301 |
| Saint Joseph | 64501 |
| Saint Louis | 63101 |
| Saint Louis | 63101 |
| Sedalia | 65301 |
| Springfield | 65801 |
Soil Moisture FAQ for Missouri
How wet is the soil in Missouri right now?
Across 14 monitoring stations in Missouri, 8 are wetter than normal, 5 are about normal, and 1 is drier than normal. Last updated October 17, 2026. Each station is compared against its own moisture history for the date, so the reading means the same thing everywhere.
Where does Missouri soil moisture data come from?
Every value is measured by an in-ground sensor, not estimated from a weather model. Readings come from the USDA SCAN network and NOAA USCRN stations, at or near the 2-inch root-zone depth (some stations report at the nearest available depth), and are refreshed daily.
What does wetter or drier than normal mean?
For each station, the current reading is compared against that station's own readings around this date across several years, after leaving out frozen-soil days. A raw moisture percentage is not comparable between two different soils, so the comparison against a station's own history is what makes the reading meaningful.
See the national soil moisture map, the full Missouri soil temperature directory (all depths), or the live national soil temperature map.