Drought in Cascade County, MT: 6.2 years in 10 since 2000

6.2 years in 10

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

1. 31
2. 52
3. 53
4. 52
5. 52
6. 42
7. 18
8. 22
9. 21
10. 0
11. 0
12. 0
13. 13
14. 0
15. 0
16. 5
17. 0
18. 13
19. 0
20. 0
21. 14
22. 46
23. 52
24. 10
25. 25
26. 37

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (31 wk), 2001 (52 wk), 2002 (53 wk), 2003 (52 wk), 2004 (52 wk), 2005 (42 wk), 2006 (18 wk), 2007 (22 wk), 2008 (21 wk), 2012 (13 wk), 2017 (13 wk), 2020 (14 wk), 2021 (46 wk), 2022 (52 wk), 2024 (25 wk) and 2025 (37 wk). Not a single drought week in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 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 Sep peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

Against the rest of MT

13th most drought-prone of 56 MT counties; the MT middle is 5.4 in 10. Closest on the list: Toole County (6.2 in 10) and Granite County (6.2 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 (53% of weeks), then Oct (53%) and Nov (50%). Least in Jun (30%). May to September averages 40%.

1. 43 Jan
2. 39 Feb
3. 35 Mar
4. 35 Apr
5. 33 May
6. 30 Jun
7. 36 Jul
8. 50 Aug
9. 53 Sep
10. 53 Oct
11. 50 Nov
12. 44 Dec

The worst year: 2002

2002: 53 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 41.6% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 26.2% at D2, 9.6% at D3, 59 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 262 weeks, Jun 13, 2000 to Jun 14, 2005.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 37 weeks. 2016-2025: 6 in 10, against 6.3 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 25 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Cascade 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 Cascade County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.