Drought in Kandiyohi County, MN: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

Kandiyohi County, MN: 7 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (21 wk), 2003 (22 wk), 2004 (21 wk), 2012 (36 wk), 2013 (32 wk), 2021 (15 wk) and 2022 (13 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

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 Sep, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of MN

84th most drought-prone of 87 MN counties; the MN middle is 3.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Marshall County (2.7 in 10) and Stearns County (2.7 in 10). Driest in MN: Wadena County (5 in 10). Least drought: Pennington County (1.9 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Sep (23% of weeks), then Mar (23%) and Aug (22%). Least in Jun (9%). May to September averages 16%.

13 Jan
16 Feb
23 Mar
20 Apr
12 May
9 Jun
13 Jul
22 Aug
23 Sep
21 Oct
14 Nov
15 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 36 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 16.6% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 4.6% at D2, 2% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 43 weeks, Aug 28, 2012 to Jun 18, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 13 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 0 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.