DroughtOdds

Drought in Orleans Parish, LA: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

Orleans Parish, LA: 7 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

  1. 43
  2. 8
  3. 12
  4. 2
  5. 0
  6. 0
  7. 25
  8. 0
  9. 0
  10. 16
  11. 2
  12. 42
  13. 12
  14. 0
  15. 4
  16. 19
  17. 7
  18. 0
  19. 0
  20. 0
  21. 7
  22. 0
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 4
  26. 10

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (43 wk), 2006 (25 wk), 2009 (16 wk), 2011 (42 wk), 2015 (19 wk), 2022 (19 wk) and 2023 (20 wk). Not a single drought week in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

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 Mar, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of LA

33rd most drought-prone of 64 LA counties; the LA middle is 2.7 in 10. Closest on the list: Iberia Parish (2.7 in 10) and Assumption Parish (2.7 in 10). Driest in LA: Caddo Parish (4.6 in 10). Least drought: East Feliciana Parish (1.9 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Mar (26% of weeks), then May (25%) and Nov (23%). Least in Sep (14%). May to September averages 18%.

  1. 19 Jan
  2. 17 Feb
  3. 26 Mar
  4. 22 Apr
  5. 25 May
  6. 17 Jun
  7. 16 Jul
  8. 18 Aug
  9. 14 Sep
  10. 17 Oct
  11. 23 Nov
  12. 17 Dec

The worst year: 2000

2000: 43 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 19.3% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 9.1% at D2, 5.2% at D3, 27 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 46 weeks, Mar 7, 2000 to Jan 16, 2001.

Lately

Last drought year: 2023, 20 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 18 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Orleans Parish lands on the plan covered in changing to a drought-tolerant grass. Its worst year, 2000, was one of the worst nationally too; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Orleans Parish's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.