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

3.5 years in 10

Hendry 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 (23 wk), 2001 (30 wk), 2007 (48 wk), 2008 (27 wk), 2009 (14 wk), 2011 (29 wk), 2012 (17 wk), 2017 (17 wk) and 2025 (30 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 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

15th most drought-prone of 67 FL counties; the FL middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Hardee County (3.5 in 10) and Sarasota 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 (50% of weeks), then May (48%) and Mar (41%). Least in Oct (6%). May to September averages 22%.

21 Jan
33 Feb
41 Mar
50 Apr
48 May
30 Jun
18 Jul
7 Aug
8 Sep
6 Oct
7 Nov
17 Dec

The worst year: 2007

2007: 48 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 23.9% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 13.7% at D2, 5.4% at D3, 15 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 74 weeks, Feb 6, 2007 to Jul 1, 2008.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 30 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 4.4 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 41 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.