Drought in Union County, TN: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (25 wk), 2001 (20 wk), 2002 (13 wk), 2007 (44 wk), 2008 (44 wk), 2016 (25 wk) and 2023 (13 wk). Not a single drought week in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2020 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 Nov, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of TN

32nd most drought-prone of 95 TN counties; the TN middle is 2.3 in 10. Closest on the list: Anderson County (2.7 in 10) and Carroll County (2.7 in 10). Driest in TN: Bradley County (3.8 in 10). Least drought: Robertson County (1.2 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Nov (30% of weeks), then Jun (24%) and Dec (24%). Least in Apr (6%). May to September averages 16%.

23 Jan
17 Feb
11 Mar
6 Apr
11 May
24 Jun
19 Jul
12 Aug
12 Sep
20 Oct
30 Nov
24 Dec

The worst year: 2007

2007: 44 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 17.2% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 6.6% at D2, 3.9% at D3, 11 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 47 weeks, May 15, 2007 to Apr 1, 2008.

Lately

Last drought year: 2023, 13 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 15 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.