DroughtOdds

Drought in Orange County, VA: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

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

  1. 0
  2. 8
  3. 46
  4. 0
  5. 0
  6. 3
  7. 6
  8. 19
  9. 20
  10. 4
  11. 13
  12. 7
  13. 6
  14. 0
  15. 0
  16. 0
  17. 7
  18. 16
  19. 6
  20. 2
  21. 2
  22. 3
  23. 0
  24. 8
  25. 18
  26. 29

20002025

Drought years: 2002 (46 wk), 2007 (19 wk), 2008 (20 wk), 2010 (13 wk), 2017 (16 wk), 2024 (18 wk) and 2025 (29 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015 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 Apr, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of VA

6th most drought-prone of 133 VA counties; the VA middle is 1.9 in 10. Closest on the list: Roanoke City (2.7 in 10) and Pulaski County (2.7 in 10). Driest in VA: Halifax County (3.1 in 10). Least drought: Covington City (1.2 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Apr (24% of weeks), then Dec (23%) and Jan (23%). Least in Sep (12%). May to September averages 16%.

  1. 23 Jan
  2. 20 Feb
  3. 18 Mar
  4. 24 Apr
  5. 13 May
  6. 13 Jun
  7. 22 Jul
  8. 20 Aug
  9. 12 Sep
  10. 13 Oct
  11. 19 Nov
  12. 23 Dec

The worst year: 2002

2002: 46 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 18.2% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 6% at D2, 1.3% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 53 weeks, Nov 13, 2001 to Nov 12, 2002.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 29 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 32 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Orange 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 Orange County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.