Drought in Clarendon County, SC: 3.1 years in 10 since 2000

3.1 years in 10

Clarendon County, SC: 8 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (16 wk), 2001 (29 wk), 2002 (38 wk), 2007 (21 wk), 2008 (15 wk), 2011 (18 wk), 2012 (33 wk) and 2015 (15 wk). Not a single drought week in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2023.

Keep a lawn, but switch to drought-tolerant grass

Dry years come often enough to kill a thirsty lawn every few summers. Keep the lawn, reseed with a drought-tolerant mix, and put the beds on drip.

If you reseed, use a drought-tolerant mix and do it well clear of Jul, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of SC

42nd most drought-prone of 46 SC counties; the SC middle is 3.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Marion County (3.1 in 10) and Richland County (2.7 in 10). Driest in SC: Abbeville County (5.8 in 10). Least drought: Charleston County (2.3 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Jul (28% of weeks), then Jan (24%) and Jun (23%). Least in Aug (15%). May to September averages 21%.

24 Jan
20 Feb
19 Mar
22 Apr
19 May
23 Jun
28 Jul
15 Aug
18 Sep
16 Oct
18 Nov
17 Dec

The worst year: 2002

2002: 38 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 19.9% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 9.6% at D2, 2.9% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 47 weeks, Oct 9, 2001 to Aug 27, 2002.

Lately

Last drought year: 2015, 15 weeks. 2016-2025: 0 in 10, against 5 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 43 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.