Drought in Ponce Municipio, PR: 0.8 years in 10 since 2000

0.8 years in 10

Ponce Municipio, PR: 2 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. Less drought-prone than most US counties.

20002025

Drought years: 2019 (16 wk) and 2022 (20 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2025.

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 Jul turns dry.

Drought has been more common in 2016-2025 (2 years in 10) than in 2000-2015 (0 in 10).

Against the rest of PR

22nd most drought-prone of 78 PR counties; the PR middle is 0.4 in 10. Closest on the list: Las Piedras Municipio (0.8 in 10) and Vieques Municipio (0.8 in 10). Driest in PR: Salinas Municipio (2.7 in 10). Least drought: Mayaguez Municipio (0 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Jul (17% of weeks), then Aug (13%) and Sep (12%). Least in Apr (2%). May to September averages 11%.

5 Jan
6 Feb
4 Mar
2 Apr
3 May
10 Jun
17 Jul
13 Aug
12 Sep
5 Oct
2 Nov
4 Dec

The worst year: 2022

2022: 20 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 7% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 2.1% at D2, 0.4% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 18 weeks, Jul 7, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 20 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 0 in 10 for 2000-2015, drier lately. So far in 2026: 18 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.