Drought in Cortland County, NY: 0.4 years in 10 since 2000

0.4 years in 10

Cortland County, NY: 1 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. Less drought-prone than most US counties.

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

20002025

Drought years: 2016 (24 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

A regular lawn is fine here; plan for the odd dry year

Real droughts are rare here. A smart controller that skips watering after rain covers the odd dry year.

You can keep a regular lawn. Worth doing: a rain-sensing or smart controller, and deeper, less frequent watering if Oct turns dry.

Against the rest of NY

47th most drought-prone of 62 NY counties; the NY middle is 0.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Sullivan County (0.4 in 10) and Herkimer County (0.4 in 10). Driest in NY: Rockland County (2.3 in 10). Least drought: Otsego County (0 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Oct (10% of weeks), then Nov (8%) and Aug (6%). Least in Jun (0%). May to September averages 3%.

1. 0 Jan
2. 0 Feb
3. 0 Mar
4. 0 Apr
5. 2 May
6. 0 Jun
7. 3 Jul
8. 6 Aug
9. 4 Sep
10. 10 Oct
11. 8 Nov
12. 2 Dec

The worst year: 2016

2016: 24 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 2.9% of all weeks at D1 or worse, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 24 weeks, Jul 5, 2016 to Dec 13, 2016.

Lately

Last drought year: 2016, 24 weeks. 2016-2025: 1 in 10, against 0 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 0 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Cortland County lands on the plan covered in keeping a regular lawn. Its worst year, 2016, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Cortland County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.