Drought in Phillips County, CO: 5 years in 10 since 2000

5 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (18 wk), 2002 (43 wk), 2003 (47 wk), 2004 (52 wk), 2005 (19 wk), 2006 (48 wk), 2007 (13 wk), 2012 (31 wk), 2013 (39 wk), 2020 (28 wk), 2021 (21 wk), 2022 (52 wk) and 2023 (22 wk). Not a single drought week in 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019 and 2024.

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 Mar peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

Against the rest of CO

41st most drought-prone of 64 CO counties; the CO middle is 5.4 in 10. Closest on the list: Gunnison County (5 in 10) and Yuma County (5 in 10). Driest in CO: Otero County (6.5 in 10). Least drought: Grand County (3.5 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Mar (50% of weeks), then Apr (44%) and Jan (41%). Least in Nov (27%). May to September averages 36%.

41 Jan
40 Feb
50 Mar
44 Apr
40 May
31 Jun
36 Jul
37 Aug
35 Sep
28 Oct
27 Nov
34 Dec

The worst year: 2022

2022: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 37% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 21.7% at D2, 11.2% at D3, 54 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 96 weeks, Jul 15, 2003 to May 10, 2005.

Lately

Last drought year: 2023, 22 weeks. 2016-2025: 4 in 10, against 5.6 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 37 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.