Drought in Jasper County, SC: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

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

1. 35
2. 38
3. 44
4. 0
5. 3
6. 0
7. 0
8. 19
9. 4
10. 7
11. 3
12. 46
13. 35
14. 12
15. 0
16. 0
17. 0
18. 7
19. 15
20. 17
21. 0
22. 0
23. 20
24. 3
25. 0
26. 10

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (35 wk), 2001 (38 wk), 2002 (44 wk), 2007 (19 wk), 2011 (46 wk), 2012 (35 wk), 2018 (15 wk), 2019 (17 wk) and 2022 (20 wk). Not a single drought week in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021 and 2024.

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 May 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 26% of growing-season weeks here were in drought.

Against the rest of SC

30th most drought-prone of 46 SC counties; the SC middle is 3.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Lexington County (3.5 in 10) and Kershaw County (3.5 in 10). Driest in SC: Abbeville County (5.8 in 10). Least drought: Charleston County (2.3 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in May (42% of weeks), then Apr (41%) and Mar (34%). Least in Sep (12%). May to September averages 26%.

1. 24 Jan
2. 22 Feb
3. 34 Mar
4. 41 Apr
5. 42 May
6. 27 Jun
7. 28 Jul
8. 20 Aug
9. 12 Sep
10. 20 Oct
11. 20 Nov
12. 20 Dec

The worst year: 2011

2011: 46 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 25.8% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 12.5% at D2, 6.6% at D3, 17 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 65 weeks, Mar 22, 2011 to Jun 12, 2012.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 20 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 3.8 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 44 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Jasper County lands on the plan covered in shrinking the lawn. Its worst year, 2011, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Jasper County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.