DroughtOdds

Drought in Fulton County, GA: 4.6 years in 10 since 2000

4.6 years in 10

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

  1. 52
  2. 27
  3. 43
  4. 0
  5. 0
  6. 0
  7. 20
  8. 38
  9. 53
  10. 6
  11. 6
  12. 35
  13. 52
  14. 10
  15. 0
  16. 0
  17. 34
  18. 14
  19. 1
  20. 14
  21. 0
  22. 0
  23. 10
  24. 9
  25. 12
  26. 16

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (52 wk), 2001 (27 wk), 2002 (43 wk), 2006 (20 wk), 2007 (38 wk), 2008 (53 wk), 2011 (35 wk), 2012 (52 wk), 2016 (34 wk), 2017 (14 wk), 2019 (14 wk) and 2025 (16 wk). Not a single drought week in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2020 and 2021.

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 Nov peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

Against the rest of GA

26th most drought-prone of 159 GA counties; the GA middle is 4.2 in 10. Closest on the list: DeKalb County (4.6 in 10) and Madison County (4.6 in 10). Driest in GA: Berrien County (5.8 in 10). Least drought: Gilmer County (2.7 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Nov (46% of weeks), then Oct (42%) and Dec (39%). Least in Apr (23%). May to September averages 31%.

  1. 38 Jan
  2. 34 Feb
  3. 32 Mar
  4. 23 Apr
  5. 29 May
  6. 30 Jun
  7. 33 Jul
  8. 30 Aug
  9. 35 Sep
  10. 42 Oct
  11. 46 Nov
  12. 39 Dec

The worst year: 2000

2000: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 34.3% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 21.6% at D2, 8.5% at D3, 61 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 90 weeks, Apr 24, 2007 to Jan 6, 2009.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 16 weeks. 2016-2025: 4 in 10, against 5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 28 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Fulton County lands on the plan covered in shrinking the lawn. Its worst year, 2000, was one of the worst nationally too; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Fulton County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.