DroughtOdds

Drought in Esmeralda County, NV: 6.2 years in 10 since 2000

6.2 years in 10

Esmeralda County, NV: 16 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. More drought-prone than most US counties.

  1. 0
  2. 27
  3. 53
  4. 52
  5. 52
  6. 1
  7. 0
  8. 46
  9. 24
  10. 0
  11. 0
  12. 0
  13. 48
  14. 53
  15. 52
  16. 52
  17. 52
  18. 5
  19. 0
  20. 0
  21. 40
  22. 52
  23. 52
  24. 10
  25. 18
  26. 47

20002025

Drought years: 2001 (27 wk), 2002 (53 wk), 2003 (52 wk), 2004 (52 wk), 2007 (46 wk), 2008 (24 wk), 2012 (48 wk), 2013 (53 wk), 2014 (52 wk), 2015 (52 wk), 2016 (52 wk), 2020 (40 wk), 2021 (52 wk), 2022 (52 wk), 2024 (18 wk) and 2025 (47 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2019.

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.

Against the rest of NV

12th most drought-prone of 17 NV counties; the NV middle is 6.2 in 10. Closest on the list: White Pine County (6.2 in 10) and Lander County (6.2 in 10). Driest in NV: Nye County (8.1 in 10). Least drought: Douglas County (5.8 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Sep (59% of weeks), then Oct (58%) and Jul (57%). Least in May (47%). May to September averages 54%.

  1. 49 Jan
  2. 51 Feb
  3. 49 Mar
  4. 49 Apr
  5. 47 May
  6. 51 Jun
  7. 57 Jul
  8. 54 Aug
  9. 59 Sep
  10. 58 Oct
  11. 57 Nov
  12. 55 Dec

The worst year: 2015

2015: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 53% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 38.7% at D2, 11.4% at D3, 113 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 262 weeks, Jan 31, 2012 to Jan 31, 2017.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 47 weeks. 2016-2025: 6 in 10, against 6.3 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 6 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Esmeralda County lands on the plan covered in shrinking the lawn. Its worst year, 2015, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Esmeralda County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.