Drought in Humboldt County, CA: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2001 (27 wk), 2008 (15 wk), 2009 (46 wk), 2013 (35 wk), 2014 (52 wk), 2015 (52 wk), 2020 (41 wk), 2021 (42 wk) and 2022 (52 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2024 and 2025.

Plan for drought as normal: shrink the lawn, go drip and natives

Drought is the normal state of things here. Most of the yard goes to natives and gravel on drip; any grass that stays is a small, tough patch.

If you are replacing turf, plant natives in fall so roots set before the Sep peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

This is one step drier than the yearly count alone suggests, because 31% of growing-season weeks here were in drought.

Against the rest of CA

57th most drought-prone of 58 CA counties; the CA middle is 4.6 in 10. Closest on the list: Sonoma County (3.5 in 10) and Del Norte County (3.1 in 10). Driest in CA: Imperial County (6.9 in 10). Least drought: Del Norte County (3.1 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Sep (38% of weeks), then Nov (34%) and Aug (32%). Least in Feb (16%). May to September averages 31%.

24 Jan
16 Feb
18 Mar
20 Apr
24 May
31 Jun
29 Jul
32 Aug
38 Sep
32 Oct
34 Nov
31 Dec

The worst year: 2014

2014: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 27.4% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 19.6% at D2, 5.1% at D3, 26 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 143 weeks, May 7, 2013 to Jan 26, 2016.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 52 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 3.8 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 5 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.