Drought in West Baton Rouge Parish, LA: 2.3 years in 10 since 2000

2.3 years in 10

West Baton Rouge Parish, LA: 6 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

1. 51
2. 5
3. 12
4. 4
5. 0
6. 0
7. 23
8. 0
9. 4
10. 17
11. 10
12. 21
13. 0
14. 0
15. 3
16. 11
17. 7
18. 0
19. 0
20. 0
21. 0
22. 0
23. 34
24. 21
25. 6
26. 2

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (51 wk), 2006 (23 wk), 2009 (17 wk), 2011 (21 wk), 2022 (34 wk) and 2023 (21 wk). Not a single drought week in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 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 May, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of LA

54th most drought-prone of 64 LA counties; the LA middle is 2.7 in 10. Closest on the list: Tangipahoa Parish (2.3 in 10) and East Baton Rouge Parish (2.3 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 Jun (23%) and Aug (22%). Least in Dec (11%). May to September averages 21%.

1. 13 Jan
2. 12 Feb
3. 13 Mar
4. 12 Apr
5. 25 May
6. 23 Jun
7. 18 Jul
8. 22 Aug
9. 16 Sep
10. 20 Oct
11. 21 Nov
12. 11 Dec

The worst year: 2000

2000: 51 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 17.3% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 7.7% at D2, 4.5% at D3, 29 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 50 weeks, Jan 4, 2000 to Dec 12, 2000.

Lately

Last drought year: 2023, 21 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 11 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

West Baton Rouge Parish lands on the plan covered in changing to a drought-tolerant grass. Its worst year, 2000, was one of the worst nationally too; see the worst years since 2000. How each of West Baton Rouge Parish's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.