Drought in Beaverhead County, MT: 6.5 years in 10 since 2000

6.5 years in 10

Beaverhead County, MT: 17 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. More drought-prone than most US counties.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (16 wk), 2001 (46 wk), 2002 (53 wk), 2003 (52 wk), 2004 (52 wk), 2005 (45 wk), 2006 (19 wk), 2007 (36 wk), 2012 (27 wk), 2013 (31 wk), 2015 (28 wk), 2020 (16 wk), 2021 (48 wk), 2022 (41 wk), 2023 (13 wk), 2024 (53 wk) and 2025 (48 wk). Not a single drought week in 2009, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

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 Sep peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

Against the rest of MT

2nd most drought-prone of 56 MT counties; the MT middle is 5.4 in 10. Closest on the list: Glacier County (6.9 in 10) and Broadwater County (6.5 in 10). Driest in MT: Glacier County (6.9 in 10). Least drought: Garfield County (3.8 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Sep (58% of weeks), then Oct (56%) and Aug (54%). Least in Mar (38%). May to September averages 50%.

43 Jan
44 Feb
38 Mar
47 Apr
43 May
44 Jun
50 Jul
54 Aug
58 Sep
56 Oct
47 Nov
49 Dec

The worst year: 2003

2003: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 47.7% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 28.1% at D2, 13.1% at D3, 128 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 248 weeks, Feb 13, 2001 to Nov 8, 2005.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 48 weeks. 2016-2025: 6 in 10, against 6.9 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 26 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.