Drought in Hocking County, OH: 0.8 years in 10 since 2000
0.8 years in 10
Hocking County, OH: 2 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. Less drought-prone than most US counties.
- 1
- 0
- 8
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 11
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 18
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 3
- 0
- 1
- 6
- 22
- 5
20002025
Drought years: 2012 (18 wk) and 2024 (22 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
A regular lawn is fine here; plan for the odd dry year
Real droughts are rare here. A smart controller that skips watering after rain covers the odd dry year.
You can keep a regular lawn. Worth doing: a rain-sensing or smart controller, and deeper, less frequent watering if Sep turns dry.
Against the rest of OH
44th most drought-prone of 88 OH counties; the OH middle is 0.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Meigs County (0.8 in 10) and Tuscarawas County (0.8 in 10). Driest in OH: Williams County (2.7 in 10). Least drought: Ashtabula County (0 in 10).
When in the year it hits
Most often in Sep (17% of weeks), then Oct (13%) and Aug (11%). Least in May (0%). May to September averages 9%.
- 1 Jan
- 0 Feb
- 0 Mar
- 0 Apr
- 0 May
- 5 Jun
- 11 Jul
- 11 Aug
- 17 Sep
- 13 Oct
- 5 Nov
- 2 Dec
The worst year: 2024
2024: 22 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 5.4% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 1.2% at D2, 0.7% at D3, 10 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 22 weeks, Jul 16, 2024 to Dec 10, 2024.
Lately
Last drought year: 2024, 22 weeks. 2016-2025: 1 in 10, against 0.6 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 0 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.
Further reading
Hocking County lands on the plan covered in keeping a regular lawn. Its worst year, 2024, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Hocking County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.