Drought in Potter County, PA: 0.4 years in 10 since 2000
0.4 years in 10
Potter County, PA: 1 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. Less drought-prone than most US counties.
- 0
- 8
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 3
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 3
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 17
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 12
- 0
- 7
- 6
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- 10
20002025
Drought years: 2016 (17 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024.
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 Aug turns dry.
Against the rest of PA
43rd most drought-prone of 67 PA counties; the PA middle is 0.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Montour County (0.4 in 10) and Somerset County (0.4 in 10). Driest in PA: Adams County (1.9 in 10). Least drought: Susquehanna County (0 in 10).
When in the year it hits
Most often in Aug (16% of weeks), then Oct (10%) and Sep (10%). Least in Apr (0%). May to September averages 8%.
- 0 Jan
- 1 Feb
- 0 Mar
- 0 Apr
- 2 May
- 6 Jun
- 7 Jul
- 16 Aug
- 10 Sep
- 10 Oct
- 4 Nov
- 3 Dec
The worst year: 2016
2016: 17 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 4.8% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 1.4% at D2, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 17 weeks, Jul 5, 2016 to Oct 25, 2016.
Lately
Last drought year: 2016, 17 weeks. 2016-2025: 1 in 10, against 0 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 1 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.
Further reading
Potter County lands on the plan covered in keeping a regular lawn. Its worst year, 2016, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Potter County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.