Drought in Curry County, OR: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

Curry County, OR: 9 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2001 (43 wk), 2013 (18 wk), 2014 (51 wk), 2015 (30 wk), 2018 (22 wk), 2020 (42 wk), 2021 (40 wk), 2022 (14 wk) and 2025 (18 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2024.

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.

This is one step drier than the yearly count alone suggests, because 30% of growing-season weeks here were in drought.

Drought has been more common in 2016-2025 (5 years in 10) than in 2000-2015 (2.5 in 10).

Against the rest of OR

28th most drought-prone of 36 OR counties; the OR middle is 4.4 in 10. Closest on the list: Hood River County (3.5 in 10) and Polk County (3.5 in 10). Driest in OR: Lake County (7.7 in 10). Least drought: Clatsop County (2.7 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Sep (37% of weeks), then Aug (35%) and Jul (31%). Least in Jan (11%). May to September averages 30%.

11 Jan
11 Feb
13 Mar
20 Apr
21 May
26 Jun
31 Jul
35 Aug
37 Sep
25 Oct
22 Nov
21 Dec

The worst year: 2014

2014: 51 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 22.8% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 13.4% at D2, 2.9% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 54 weeks, Dec 17, 2013 to Dec 23, 2014.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 18 weeks. 2016-2025: 5 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, drier lately. So far in 2026: 24 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.