Drought in New Hanover County, NC: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

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

1. 0
2. 9
3. 35
4. 0
5. 0
6. 0
7. 0
8. 32
9. 16
10. 0
11. 3
12. 19
13. 22
14. 0
15. 0
16. 0
17. 0
18. 0
19. 0
20. 8
21. 0
22. 10
23. 33
24. 9
25. 8
26. 19

20002025

Drought years: 2002 (35 wk), 2007 (32 wk), 2008 (16 wk), 2011 (19 wk), 2012 (22 wk), 2022 (33 wk) and 2025 (19 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

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

Against the rest of NC

77th most drought-prone of 100 NC counties; the NC middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Jones County (2.7 in 10) and Craven County (2.7 in 10). Driest in NC: Cleveland County (5 in 10). Least drought: Gates County (1.5 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in May (26% of weeks), then Jun (25%) and Jan (25%). Least in Oct (5%). May to September averages 18%.

1. 25 Jan
2. 20 Feb
3. 19 Mar
4. 19 Apr
5. 26 May
6. 25 Jun
7. 22 Jul
8. 12 Aug
9. 7 Sep
10. 5 Oct
11. 18 Nov
12. 20 Dec

The worst year: 2002

2002: 35 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 18.1% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 7.5% at D2, 1.3% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 44 weeks, Oct 30, 2001 to Aug 27, 2002.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 19 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 31 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

New Hanover County lands on the plan covered in changing to a drought-tolerant grass. Its worst year, 2002, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of New Hanover County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.