Drought in Orange County, NY: 1.9 years in 10 since 2000

1.9 years in 10

Orange County, NY: 5 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. Less drought-prone than most US counties.

20002025

Drought years: 2002 (22 wk), 2016 (18 wk), 2017 (14 wk), 2022 (21 wk) and 2025 (26 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

A regular lawn is fine here; plan for the odd dry year

Real droughts are rare here. A smart controller that skips watering after rain covers the odd dry year.

You can keep a regular lawn. Worth doing: a rain-sensing or smart controller, and deeper, less frequent watering if Nov turns dry.

Drought has been more common in 2016-2025 (4 years in 10) than in 2000-2015 (0.6 in 10).

Against the rest of NY

5th most drought-prone of 62 NY counties; the NY middle is 0.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Westchester County (1.9 in 10) and Dutchess County (1.9 in 10). Driest in NY: Rockland County (2.3 in 10). Least drought: Otsego County (0 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Nov (23% of weeks), then Dec (23%) and Jan (16%). Least in Jul (3%). May to September averages 7%.

16 Jan
15 Feb
12 Mar
14 Apr
10 May
10 Jun
3 Jul
6 Aug
5 Sep
16 Oct
23 Nov
23 Dec

The worst year: 2025

2025: 26 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 12.6% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 2.6% at D2, 0.1% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 29 weeks, Oct 30, 2001 to May 14, 2002.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 26 weeks. 2016-2025: 4 in 10, against 0.6 in 10 for 2000-2015, drier lately. So far in 2026: 21 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.