Drought in Dickey County, ND: 3.1 years in 10 since 2000
3.1 years in 10
Dickey County, ND: 8 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.
- 4
- 0
- 1
- 26
- 19
- 0
- 11
- 0
- 6
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 25
- 20
- 0
- 2
- 3
- 16
- 4
- 0
- 0
- 31
- 14
- 9
- 12
- 16
20002025
Drought years: 2003 (26 wk), 2004 (19 wk), 2012 (25 wk), 2013 (20 wk), 2017 (16 wk), 2021 (31 wk), 2022 (14 wk) and 2025 (16 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 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 Mar, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.
Against the rest of ND
35th most drought-prone of 53 ND counties; the ND middle is 3.5 in 10. Closest on the list: Ramsey County (3.1 in 10) and Wells County (3.1 in 10). Driest in ND: Bowman County (6.5 in 10). Least drought: Barnes County (1.2 in 10).
When in the year it hits
Most often in Mar (24% of weeks), then Feb (22%) and Sep (19%). Least in May (8%). May to September averages 13%.
- 15 Jan
- 22 Feb
- 24 Mar
- 18 Apr
- 8 May
- 9 Jun
- 13 Jul
- 17 Aug
- 19 Sep
- 14 Oct
- 15 Nov
- 16 Dec
The worst year: 2021
2021: 31 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 15.6% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 4.9% at D2, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 40 weeks, Jul 10, 2012 to Apr 9, 2013.
Lately
Last drought year: 2025, 16 weeks. 2016-2025: 4 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
Dickey County lands on the plan covered in changing to a drought-tolerant grass. Its worst year, 2021, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Dickey County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.