Drought in Noble County, IN: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

Noble County, IN: 7 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 (15 wk), 2003 (17 wk), 2012 (30 wk), 2020 (17 wk), 2024 (18 wk) and 2025 (18 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 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 Oct, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of IN

6th most drought-prone of 92 IN counties; the IN middle is 1.5 in 10. Closest on the list: Fulton County (2.7 in 10) and Cass County (2.7 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 Oct (23% of weeks), then Nov (21%) and Sep (20%). Least in May (3%). May to September averages 12%.

11 Jan
9 Feb
8 Mar
9 Apr
3 May
10 Jun
16 Jul
9 Aug
20 Sep
23 Oct
21 Nov
17 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 30 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 13% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 3.9% at D2, 0.5% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 33 weeks, Jun 5, 2012 to Jan 15, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 18 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 0 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.