Drought in Fulton County, IL: 3.1 years in 10 since 2000

3.1 years in 10

Fulton County, IL: 8 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (22 wk), 2003 (14 wk), 2005 (30 wk), 2006 (26 wk), 2011 (14 wk), 2012 (23 wk), 2023 (16 wk) and 2025 (23 wk). Not a single drought week in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.

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 Oct, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of IL

23rd most drought-prone of 102 IL counties; the IL middle is 2.3 in 10. Closest on the list: Macon County (3.1 in 10) and Lee County (3.1 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 Oct (29% of weeks), then Nov (21%) and Sep (21%). Least in May (8%). May to September averages 13%.

13 Jan
17 Feb
15 Mar
9 Apr
8 May
10 Jun
11 Jul
16 Aug
21 Sep
29 Oct
21 Nov
11 Dec

The worst year: 2005

2005: 30 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 15.1% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 6.8% at D2, 1.2% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 47 weeks, Jun 7, 2005 to Apr 25, 2006.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 23 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.8 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 13 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.