Drought in Todd County, MN: 4.2 years in 10 since 2000

4.2 years in 10

Todd County, MN: 11 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. More drought-prone than most US counties.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (15 wk), 2003 (24 wk), 2004 (21 wk), 2006 (25 wk), 2007 (32 wk), 2008 (14 wk), 2012 (30 wk), 2013 (23 wk), 2021 (18 wk), 2023 (28 wk) and 2024 (24 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2025.

Plan for drought as normal: shrink the lawn, go drip and natives

Drought is the normal state of things here. Most of the yard goes to natives and gravel on drip; any grass that stays is a small, tough patch.

If you are replacing turf, plant natives in fall so roots set before the Oct peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

Against the rest of MN

20th most drought-prone of 87 MN counties; the MN middle is 3.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Martin County (4.2 in 10) and Le Sueur County (4.2 in 10). Driest in MN: Wadena County (5 in 10). Least drought: Pennington County (1.9 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Oct (28% of weeks), then Feb (27%) and Sep (26%). Least in Jun (7%). May to September averages 15%.

22 Jan
27 Feb
25 Mar
24 Apr
11 May
7 Jun
13 Jul
21 Aug
26 Sep
28 Oct
20 Nov
18 Dec

The worst year: 2007

2007: 32 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 20.1% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 5.4% at D2, 0.5% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 45 weeks, Jun 20, 2023 to Apr 23, 2024.

Lately

Last drought year: 2024, 24 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 5 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 14 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.