Drought in Nye County, NV: 8.1 years in 10 since 2000

8.1 years in 10

Nye County, NV: 21 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. More drought-prone than most US counties.

1. 0
2. 16
3. 45
4. 52
5. 52
6. 15
7. 0
8. 46
9. 53
10. 52
11. 14
12. 0
13. 49
14. 53
15. 52
16. 52
17. 21
18. 0
19. 31
20. 10
21. 25
22. 52
23. 52
24. 27
25. 18
26. 51

20002025

Drought years: 2001 (16 wk), 2002 (45 wk), 2003 (52 wk), 2004 (52 wk), 2005 (15 wk), 2007 (46 wk), 2008 (53 wk), 2009 (52 wk), 2010 (14 wk), 2012 (49 wk), 2013 (53 wk), 2014 (52 wk), 2015 (52 wk), 2016 (21 wk), 2018 (31 wk), 2020 (25 wk), 2021 (52 wk), 2022 (52 wk), 2023 (27 wk), 2024 (18 wk) and 2025 (51 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2006, 2011 and 2017.

Plan for drought as normal: shrink the lawn, go drip and natives

Drought is the normal state of things here. Most of the yard goes to natives and gravel on drip; any grass that stays is a small, tough patch.

If you are replacing turf, plant natives in fall so roots set before the Sep peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

Against the rest of NV

1st most drought-prone of 17 NV counties; the NV middle is 6.2 in 10. Closest on the list: Churchill County (7.3 in 10). Least drought: Douglas County (5.8 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Sep (68% of weeks), then Dec (67%) and Mar (64%). Least in Aug (55%). May to September averages 60%.

1. 57 Jan
2. 62 Feb
3. 64 Mar
4. 64 Apr
5. 61 May
6. 57 Jun
7. 57 Jul
8. 55 Aug
9. 68 Sep
10. 63 Oct
11. 61 Nov
12. 67 Dec

The worst year: 2015

2015: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 61.2% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 36.3% at D2, 12.3% at D3, 119 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 227 weeks, Jan 24, 2012 to May 24, 2016.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 51 weeks. 2016-2025: 8 in 10, against 8.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 19 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Nye County lands on the plan covered in shrinking the lawn. Its worst year, 2015, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Nye County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.