Drought in Okfuskee County, OK: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2006 (52 wk), 2011 (43 wk), 2012 (39 wk), 2013 (16 wk), 2014 (31 wk), 2017 (20 wk) and 2022 (35 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2015, 2019 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 Jan, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of OK

67th most drought-prone of 77 OK counties; the OK middle is 4.6 in 10. Closest on the list: Mayes County (3.1 in 10) and Le Flore County (2.7 in 10). Driest in OK: Cimarron County (6.9 in 10). Least drought: McIntosh County (2.3 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Jan (34% of weeks), then Dec (32%) and Feb (32%). Least in May (11%). May to September averages 21%.

34 Jan
32 Feb
25 Mar
17 Apr
11 May
13 Jun
21 Jul
28 Aug
31 Sep
32 Oct
21 Nov
32 Dec

The worst year: 2006

2006: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 24.7% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 13.3% at D2, 5% at D3, 44 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 56 weeks, Dec 6, 2005 to Dec 26, 2006.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 35 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 29 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.