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

6.5 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (25 wk), 2001 (46 wk), 2002 (53 wk), 2003 (52 wk), 2004 (52 wk), 2005 (45 wk), 2006 (20 wk), 2007 (34 wk), 2008 (21 wk), 2012 (27 wk), 2013 (39 wk), 2015 (25 wk), 2020 (14 wk), 2021 (46 wk), 2022 (48 wk), 2024 (42 wk) and 2025 (16 wk). Not a single drought week in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 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 Oct peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

Against the rest of MT

3rd most drought-prone of 56 MT counties; the MT middle is 5.4 in 10. Closest on the list: Beaverhead County (6.5 in 10) and Powell 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 Oct (57% of weeks), then Sep (54%) and Aug (54%). Least in Apr (36%). May to September averages 48%.

43 Jan
50 Feb
37 Mar
36 Apr
40 May
41 Jun
48 Jul
54 Aug
54 Sep
57 Oct
50 Nov
44 Dec

The worst year: 2003

2003: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 46.2% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 24.1% at D2, 13.6% at D3, 71 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 230 weeks, Feb 13, 2001 to Jul 5, 2005.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 16 weeks. 2016-2025: 5 in 10, against 7.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 21 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.