Drought in Clark County, SD: 2.3 years in 10 since 2000

2.3 years in 10

Clark County, SD: 6 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

1. 11
2. 0
3. 1
4. 20
5. 21
6. 0
7. 6
8. 4
9. 0
10. 0
11. 0
12. 11
13. 35
14. 26
15. 0
16. 6
17. 0
18. 4
19. 2
20. 0
21. 0
22. 12
23. 12
24. 1
25. 13
26. 13

20002025

Drought years: 2003 (20 wk), 2004 (21 wk), 2012 (35 wk), 2013 (26 wk), 2024 (13 wk) and 2025 (13 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2020.

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 Nov, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of SD

66th most drought-prone of 66 SD counties; the SD middle is 3.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Marshall County (2.7 in 10). Driest in SD: Jackson County (6.9 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Nov (20% of weeks), then Feb (19%) and Apr (19%). Least in May (5%). May to September averages 9%.

1. 15 Jan
2. 19 Feb
3. 19 Mar
4. 19 Apr
5. 5 May
6. 6 Jun
7. 10 Jul
8. 13 Aug
9. 11 Sep
10. 17 Oct
11. 20 Nov
12. 17 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 35 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 14.1% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 2.2% at D2, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 36 weeks, Sep 4, 2012 to May 7, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 13 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 0 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Clark County lands on the plan covered in changing to a drought-tolerant grass. Its worst year, 2012, was one of the worst nationally too; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Clark County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.