Drought in Greene County, VA: 3.1 years in 10 since 2000

3.1 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2002 (40 wk), 2007 (17 wk), 2008 (15 wk), 2010 (18 wk), 2017 (16 wk), 2023 (20 wk), 2024 (21 wk) and 2025 (25 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020 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 Apr, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of VA

4th most drought-prone of 133 VA counties; the VA middle is 1.9 in 10. Closest on the list: Madison County (3.1 in 10) and Roanoke City (2.7 in 10). Driest in VA: Halifax County (3.1 in 10). Least drought: Covington City (1.2 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Apr (22% of weeks), then Jan (21%) and Oct (20%). Least in May (12%). May to September averages 15%.

21 Jan
19 Feb
17 Mar
22 Apr
12 May
12 Jun
18 Jul
16 Aug
16 Sep
20 Oct
19 Nov
19 Dec

The worst year: 2002

2002: 40 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 17.6% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 5.4% at D2, 0.5% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 48 weeks, Sep 16, 2025 to Aug 11, 2026.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 25 weeks. 2016-2025: 4 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 32 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.