Is my county getting drier? Reading the last ten years
The comparison
Each county page puts its drought-years-in-10 for the most recent ten full years beside the same figure for the years before. A gap of 2 in 10 or more is called drier or wetter; anything smaller is within the swing of one odd year. Of 3,222 counties with enough record, 414 (13%) came out drier lately, 577 (18%) wetter, and the rest about the same.
Biggest moves
Drier lately: Knox County, ME (0.6 to 7 in 10), Renville County, ND (1.9 to 8 in 10) and Burke County, ND (2.5 to 8 in 10). Wetter lately: Fairfield County, SC (5.6 to 0 in 10), Kershaw County, SC (5.6 to 0 in 10) and Calhoun County, GA (6.3 to 1 in 10). States with the most counties drier lately: ND (32), SD (32), OR (31), CO (20) and WA (20).
Why it does not change the plan
Ten years is short. One national drought year, such as one of 2012, 2022 and 2000, can swing a window on its own. So a drier-lately county gets a note on its page, not a different plan. If you are deciding something that lasts 20 years, like a well depth or a full yard redo, treat drier-lately as a reason to lean one step drier.
Related
Which years drove the swings: the worst drought years. What leaning drier looks like: changing the grass.