Drought in Fulton County, IN: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

Fulton County, IN: 7 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (21 wk), 2002 (13 wk), 2003 (18 wk), 2012 (21 wk), 2020 (21 wk), 2024 (13 wk) and 2025 (22 wk). Not a single drought week in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

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

Against the rest of IN

5th most drought-prone of 92 IN counties; the IN middle is 1.5 in 10. Closest on the list: Elkhart County (2.7 in 10) and Noble County (2.7 in 10). Driest in IN: LaGrange County (3.5 in 10). Least drought: Floyd County (0.4 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Nov (21% of weeks), then Dec (20%) and Oct (18%). Least in Aug (5%). May to September averages 10%.

14 Jan
17 Feb
16 Mar
9 Apr
8 May
12 Jun
10 Jul
5 Aug
14 Sep
18 Oct
21 Nov
20 Dec

The worst year: 2025

2025: 22 weeks in drought, peaking at D1 moderate. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 13.6% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 3.1% at D2, 0.5% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 30 weeks, Oct 15, 2002 to May 6, 2003.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 22 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 11 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.