Drought in McIntosh County, ND: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2003 (30 wk), 2004 (22 wk), 2006 (15 wk), 2012 (22 wk), 2013 (21 wk), 2017 (25 wk), 2021 (40 wk), 2022 (15 wk) and 2025 (16 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 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 Dec, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of ND

28th most drought-prone of 53 ND counties; the ND middle is 3.5 in 10. Closest on the list: Pierce County (3.5 in 10) and LaMoure County (3.5 in 10). Driest in ND: Bowman County (6.5 in 10). Least drought: Barnes County (1.2 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Dec (24% of weeks), then Jan (23%) and Mar (23%). Least in Jun (14%). May to September averages 16%.

23 Jan
22 Feb
23 Mar
20 Apr
15 May
14 Jun
16 Jul
15 Aug
18 Sep
16 Oct
15 Nov
24 Dec

The worst year: 2021

2021: 40 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 18.3% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 6.6% at D2, 2.2% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 45 weeks, Dec 1, 2020 to Oct 5, 2021.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 16 weeks. 2016-2025: 4 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.