Drought in Washington County, NY: 0 years in 10 since 2000

0 years in 10

Washington County, NY: 0 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. No full-season drought since 2000.

1. 0
2. 4
3. 11
4. 0
5. 0
6. 0
7. 0
8. 0
9. 0
10. 0
11. 0
12. 0
13. 0
14. 0
15. 0
16. 2
17. 12
18. 6
19. 0
20. 0
21. 5
22. 0
23. 0
24. 0
25. 6
26. 9

20002025

No year reached the drought line. Not a single drought week in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

A regular lawn is fine here

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 Nov turns dry.

Against the rest of NY

53rd most drought-prone of 62 NY counties; the NY middle is 0.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Albany County (0 in 10) and Schoharie County (0 in 10). Driest in NY: Rockland County (2.3 in 10). Least drought: Otsego County (0 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Nov (12% of weeks), then Jan (6%) and Oct (6%). Least in Jun (0%). May to September averages 2%.

1. 6 Jan
2. 5 Feb
3. 3 Mar
4. 0 Apr
5. 2 May
6. 0 Jun
7. 3 Jul
8. 1 Aug
9. 5 Sep
10. 6 Oct
11. 12 Nov
12. 5 Dec

The worst year: 2016

2016: 12 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 3.9% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 0.2% at D2, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 18 weeks, Oct 11, 2016 to Feb 7, 2017.

Lately

No drought year on record. 2016-2025: 0 in 10, against 0 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 0 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Washington 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 Washington County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.