Drought in Hardee County, FL: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

Hardee County, FL: 9 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (42 wk), 2001 (31 wk), 2007 (51 wk), 2008 (25 wk), 2009 (14 wk), 2012 (23 wk), 2017 (17 wk), 2023 (17 wk) and 2025 (32 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 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 Apr, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of FL

14th most drought-prone of 67 FL counties; the FL middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Highlands County (3.5 in 10) and Hendry County (3.5 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 Apr (47% of weeks), then May (46%) and Mar (45%). Least in Nov (10%). May to September averages 23%.

19 Jan
29 Feb
45 Mar
47 Apr
46 May
27 Jun
16 Jul
13 Aug
11 Sep
12 Oct
10 Nov
11 Dec

The worst year: 2007

2007: 51 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 23.9% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 12.2% at D2, 5.4% at D3, 19 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 76 weeks, Jan 9, 2007 to Jun 17, 2008.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 32 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 3.8 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 43 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.