Drought in Saint Lucie County, FL: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (19 wk), 2001 (31 wk), 2007 (28 wk), 2009 (18 wk), 2011 (33 wk), 2012 (13 wk) and 2017 (16 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2014, 2016 and 2021.

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 Apr, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of FL

61st most drought-prone of 67 FL counties; the FL middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Seminole County (2.7 in 10) and Madison County (2.3 in 10). Driest in FL: Leon County (4.2 in 10). Least drought: Monroe County (1.9 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Apr (35% of weeks), then May (33%) and Mar (30%). Least in Sep (0%). May to September averages 14%.

19 Jan
23 Feb
30 Mar
35 Apr
33 May
19 Jun
14 Jul
3 Aug
0 Sep
3 Oct
15 Nov
17 Dec

The worst year: 2011

2011: 33 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 17.7% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 10% at D2, 5% at D3, 19 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 44 weeks, Oct 19, 2010 to Aug 16, 2011.

Lately

Last drought year: 2017, 16 weeks. 2016-2025: 1 in 10, against 3.8 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 23 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.