Drought in Saint Helena Parish, LA: 1.9 years in 10 since 2000
1.9 years in 10
Saint Helena Parish, LA: 5 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. Less drought-prone than most US counties.
- 51
- 5
- 12
- 2
- 0
- 0
- 23
- 0
- 4
- 12
- 7
- 27
- 0
- 0
- 3
- 9
- 7
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 29
- 21
- 7
- 0
20002025
Drought years: 2000 (51 wk), 2006 (23 wk), 2011 (27 wk), 2022 (29 wk) and 2023 (21 wk). Not a single drought week in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 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 May turns dry.
Against the rest of LA
63rd most drought-prone of 64 LA counties; the LA middle is 2.7 in 10. Closest on the list: Washington Parish (1.9 in 10) and East Feliciana Parish (1.9 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 May (25% of weeks), then Nov (22%) and Aug (21%). Least in Jan (8%). May to September averages 21%.
- 8 Jan
- 10 Feb
- 8 Mar
- 15 Apr
- 25 May
- 21 Jun
- 18 Jul
- 21 Aug
- 19 Sep
- 21 Oct
- 22 Nov
- 13 Dec
The worst year: 2000
2000: 51 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 16.7% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 7.7% at D2, 3.1% at D3, 22 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 51 weeks, Jan 11, 2000 to Dec 26, 2000.
Lately
Last drought year: 2023, 21 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 1.9 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 15 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.
Further reading
Saint Helena Parish lands on the plan covered in keeping a regular lawn. Its worst year, 2000, was one of the worst nationally too; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Saint Helena Parish's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.