DroughtOdds

Drought in Gilchrist County, FL: 3.1 years in 10 since 2000

3.1 years in 10

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

  1. 52
  2. 28
  3. 0
  4. 0
  5. 0
  6. 0
  7. 16
  8. 30
  9. 7
  10. 3
  11. 8
  12. 33
  13. 24
  14. 11
  15. 0
  16. 0
  17. 0
  18. 3
  19. 0
  20. 1
  21. 2
  22. 0
  23. 12
  24. 25
  25. 6
  26. 18

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (52 wk), 2001 (28 wk), 2006 (16 wk), 2007 (30 wk), 2011 (33 wk), 2012 (24 wk), 2023 (25 wk) and 2025 (18 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2021.

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

Against the rest of FL

31st most drought-prone of 67 FL counties; the FL middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: DeSoto County (3.1 in 10) and Nassau County (3.1 in 10). Driest in FL: Leon County (4.2 in 10). Least drought: Monroe County (1.9 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Mar (31% of weeks), then Apr (30%) and Feb (28%). Least in Sep (12%). May to September averages 20%.

  1. 28 Jan
  2. 28 Feb
  3. 31 Mar
  4. 30 Apr
  5. 28 May
  6. 25 Jun
  7. 17 Jul
  8. 17 Aug
  9. 12 Sep
  10. 16 Oct
  11. 22 Nov
  12. 22 Dec

The worst year: 2000

2000: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 23.1% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 11.2% at D2, 6% at D3, 22 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 80 weeks, Jan 4, 2000 to Jul 10, 2001.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 18 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.8 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 44 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Gilchrist County lands on the plan covered in changing to a drought-tolerant grass. Its worst year, 2000, was one of the worst nationally too; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Gilchrist County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.