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

2.7 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (19 wk), 2002 (19 wk), 2003 (14 wk), 2012 (14 wk), 2021 (13 wk), 2024 (20 wk) and 2025 (17 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.

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 OH

2nd most drought-prone of 88 OH counties; the OH middle is 0.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Williams County (2.7 in 10) and Defiance County (2.3 in 10). Driest in OH: Williams County (2.7 in 10). Least drought: Ashtabula County (0 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Nov (19% of weeks), then Dec (17%) and Jul (17%). Least in May (4%). May to September averages 11%.

12 Jan
12 Feb
13 Mar
9 Apr
4 May
11 Jun
17 Jul
8 Aug
12 Sep
15 Oct
19 Nov
17 Dec

The worst year: 2024

2024: 20 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 12.4% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 3.6% at D2, 0.4% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 28 weeks, Sep 9, 2025 to Mar 17, 2026.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 17 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.