Drought in Fresno County, CA: 4.6 years in 10 since 2000

4.6 years in 10

Fresno County, CA: 12 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. More drought-prone than most US counties.

1. 0
2. 0
3. 20
4. 1
5. 0
6. 0
7. 0
8. 48
9. 39
10. 52
11. 3
12. 0
13. 52
14. 53
15. 52
16. 52
17. 52
18. 6
19. 10
20. 0
21. 47
22. 52
23. 52
24. 8
25. 0
26. 3

20002025

Drought years: 2002 (20 wk), 2007 (48 wk), 2008 (39 wk), 2009 (52 wk), 2012 (52 wk), 2013 (53 wk), 2014 (52 wk), 2015 (52 wk), 2016 (52 wk), 2020 (47 wk), 2021 (52 wk) and 2022 (52 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2019 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.

Against the rest of CA

23rd most drought-prone of 58 CA counties; the CA middle is 4.6 in 10. Closest on the list: Merced County (4.6 in 10) and Colusa County (4.6 in 10). Driest in CA: Imperial County (6.9 in 10). Least drought: Del Norte County (3.1 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Sep (46% of weeks), then Jan (45%) and Feb (45%). Least in Apr (37%). May to September averages 43%.

1. 45 Jan
2. 45 Feb
3. 42 Mar
4. 37 Apr
5. 40 May
6. 44 Jun
7. 45 Jul
8. 43 Aug
9. 46 Sep
10. 43 Oct
11. 43 Nov
12. 44 Dec

The worst year: 2014

2014: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 43% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 30.3% at D2, 17.4% at D3, 219 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 267 weeks, Jan 3, 2012 to Feb 7, 2017.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 52 weeks. 2016-2025: 4 in 10, against 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

Fresno County lands on the plan covered in shrinking the lawn. Its worst year, 2014, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Fresno County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.