Drought in Pitt County, NC: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2001 (15 wk), 2002 (41 wk), 2007 (25 wk), 2008 (38 wk), 2011 (15 wk), 2022 (20 wk) and 2025 (33 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 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 Feb, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of NC

71st most drought-prone of 100 NC counties; the NC middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Bladen County (2.7 in 10) and Duplin County (2.7 in 10). Driest in NC: Cleveland County (5 in 10). Least drought: Gates County (1.5 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Feb (24% of weeks), then Jul (23%) and Jan (23%). Least in May (16%). May to September averages 19%.

23 Jan
24 Feb
22 Mar
20 Apr
16 May
18 Jun
23 Jul
17 Aug
20 Sep
18 Oct
21 Nov
17 Dec

The worst year: 2002

2002: 41 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 19.7% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 9% at D2, 1.7% at D3, 10 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 59 weeks, Sep 23, 2025 to Nov 3, 2026.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 33 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 44 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.