Drought in Baca County, CO: 6.2 years in 10 since 2000

6.2 years in 10

Baca County, CO: 16 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. More drought-prone than most US counties.

1. 3
2. 9
3. 53
4. 45
5. 27
6. 0
7. 32
8. 5
9. 53
10. 13
11. 3
12. 52
13. 52
14. 53
15. 52
16. 20
17. 6
18. 5
19. 32
20. 11
21. 52
22. 34
23. 46
24. 22
25. 8
26. 8

20002025

Drought years: 2002 (53 wk), 2003 (45 wk), 2004 (27 wk), 2006 (32 wk), 2008 (53 wk), 2009 (13 wk), 2011 (52 wk), 2012 (52 wk), 2013 (53 wk), 2014 (52 wk), 2015 (20 wk), 2018 (32 wk), 2020 (52 wk), 2021 (34 wk), 2022 (46 wk) and 2023 (22 wk). Not a single drought week in 2005.

Plan for drought as normal: shrink the lawn, go drip and natives

Drought is the normal state of things here. Most of the yard goes to natives and gravel on drip; any grass that stays is a small, tough patch.

If you are replacing turf, plant natives in fall so roots set before the Apr peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

Against the rest of CO

8th most drought-prone of 64 CO counties; the CO middle is 5.4 in 10. Closest on the list: Cheyenne County (6.5 in 10) and Bent County (6.2 in 10). Driest in CO: Otero County (6.5 in 10). Least drought: Grand County (3.5 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Apr (69% of weeks), then Mar (68%) and May (60%). Least in Sep (37%). May to September averages 46%.

1. 57 Jan
2. 59 Feb
3. 68 Mar
4. 69 Apr
5. 60 May
6. 47 Jun
7. 44 Jul
8. 39 Aug
9. 37 Sep
10. 41 Oct
11. 46 Nov
12. 54 Dec

The worst year: 2002

2002: 53 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,400 weekly maps: 51.8% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 36.4% at D2, 15.2% at D3, 164 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 232 weeks, Dec 14, 2010 to May 19, 2015.

Lately

Last drought year: 2023, 22 weeks. 2016-2025: 5 in 10, against 6.9 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 29 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Baca County lands on the plan covered in shrinking the lawn. Its worst year, 2002, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Baca County's 1,400 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.