Drought in Menard County, IL: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (25 wk), 2005 (32 wk), 2006 (14 wk), 2007 (13 wk), 2011 (14 wk), 2012 (25 wk), 2013 (19 wk), 2023 (16 wk) and 2025 (18 wk). Not a single drought week in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2019 and 2022.

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 IL

8th most drought-prone of 102 IL counties; the IL middle is 2.3 in 10. Closest on the list: Warren County (3.5 in 10) and Boone County (3.5 in 10). Driest in IL: Hancock County (3.8 in 10). Least drought: Edwards County (0.4 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Sep (28% of weeks), then Oct (28%) and Jan (23%). Least in May (7%). May to September averages 15%.

23 Jan
19 Feb
13 Mar
7 Apr
7 May
11 Jun
11 Jul
19 Aug
28 Sep
28 Oct
23 Nov
21 Dec

The worst year: 2005

2005: 32 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 17.4% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 5.3% at D2, 0.9% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 46 weeks, May 24, 2005 to Apr 4, 2006.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 18 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 4.4 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 13 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.