Drought in Dare County, NC: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

Dare County, NC: 7 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2002 (35 wk), 2007 (19 wk), 2008 (27 wk), 2011 (15 wk), 2023 (13 wk), 2024 (13 wk) and 2025 (20 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 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 Jan, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of NC

81st most drought-prone of 100 NC counties; the NC middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Pamlico County (2.7 in 10) and Davie County (2.3 in 10). Driest in NC: Cleveland County (5 in 10). Least drought: Gates County (1.5 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Jan (24% of weeks), then Feb (21%) and Nov (19%). Least in Sep (10%). May to September averages 12%.

24 Jan
21 Feb
15 Mar
15 Apr
13 May
13 Jun
15 Jul
10 Aug
10 Sep
12 Oct
19 Nov
18 Dec

The worst year: 2002

2002: 35 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 15.3% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 4.9% at D2, 0.1% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 43 weeks, Oct 30, 2001 to Aug 20, 2002.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 20 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 29 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.