Drought in De Witt County, IL: 2.3 years in 10 since 2000
2.3 years in 10
De Witt County, IL: 6 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.
- 25
- 2
- 0
- 6
- 0
- 30
- 10
- 11
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 10
- 25
- 18
- 10
- 0
- 0
- 9
- 0
- 0
- 14
- 8
- 3
- 10
- 3
- 19
20002025
Drought years: 2000 (25 wk), 2005 (30 wk), 2012 (25 wk), 2013 (18 wk), 2020 (14 wk) and 2025 (19 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.
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 Sep, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.
Against the rest of IL
42nd most drought-prone of 102 IL counties; the IL middle is 2.3 in 10. Closest on the list: Kendall County (2.7 in 10) and Henry County (2.3 in 10). Driest in IL: Hancock County (3.8 in 10). Least drought: Edwards County (0.4 in 10).
When in the year it hits
Most often in Sep (26% of weeks), then Oct (26%) and Feb (21%). Least in May (8%). May to September averages 15%.
- 19 Jan
- 21 Feb
- 12 Mar
- 8 Apr
- 8 May
- 14 Jun
- 13 Jul
- 13 Aug
- 26 Sep
- 26 Oct
- 19 Nov
- 17 Dec
The worst year: 2005
2005: 30 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 16.1% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 6.4% at D2, 0.6% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 30 weeks, Sep 9, 2025 to Mar 31, 2026.
Lately
Last drought year: 2025, 19 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 13 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.
Further reading
De Witt County lands on the plan covered in changing to a drought-tolerant grass. Its worst year, 2005, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of De Witt County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.