Drought in Marquette County, WI: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2003 (16 wk), 2012 (16 wk), 2013 (18 wk), 2014 (14 wk), 2022 (13 wk), 2023 (30 wk) and 2024 (25 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2025.

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

Against the rest of WI

37th most drought-prone of 72 WI counties; the WI middle is 2.7 in 10. Closest on the list: Sauk County (2.7 in 10) and Milwaukee County (2.7 in 10). Driest in WI: Barron County (4.6 in 10). Least drought: Fond du Lac County (0.8 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Oct (22% of weeks), then Sep (17%) and Mar (17%). Least in May (5%). May to September averages 12%.

11 Jan
12 Feb
17 Mar
10 Apr
5 May
7 Jun
13 Jul
17 Aug
17 Sep
22 Oct
14 Nov
11 Dec

The worst year: 2023

2023: 30 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 13% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 4% at D2, 0.5% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 51 weeks, Jun 6, 2023 to May 21, 2024.

Lately

Last drought year: 2024, 25 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 4 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.