Drought in Marshall County, IN: 2.3 years in 10 since 2000

2.3 years in 10

Marshall County, IN: 6 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (20 wk), 2002 (14 wk), 2003 (18 wk), 2005 (13 wk), 2012 (26 wk) and 2020 (19 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

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 IN

12th most drought-prone of 92 IN counties; the IN middle is 1.5 in 10. Closest on the list: Montgomery County (2.3 in 10) and Vermillion County (2.3 in 10). Driest in IN: LaGrange County (3.5 in 10). Least drought: Floyd County (0.4 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Sep (17% of weeks), then Jan (16%) and Oct (16%). Least in May (6%). May to September averages 10%.

16 Jan
11 Feb
8 Mar
9 Apr
6 May
11 Jun
9 Jul
6 Aug
17 Sep
16 Oct
15 Nov
16 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 26 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 11.6% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 3.8% at D2, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 30 weeks, Oct 15, 2002 to May 6, 2003.

Lately

Last drought year: 2020, 19 weeks. 2016-2025: 1 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 0 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.