Drought in Whitley County, IN: 2.3 years in 10 since 2000

2.3 years in 10

Whitley County, IN: 6 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (20 wk), 2003 (15 wk), 2011 (13 wk), 2012 (21 wk), 2024 (18 wk) and 2025 (19 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 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 Dec, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of IN

10th most drought-prone of 92 IN counties; the IN middle is 1.5 in 10. Closest on the list: Parke County (2.3 in 10) and Montgomery County (2.3 in 10). Driest in IN: LaGrange County (3.5 in 10). Least drought: Floyd County (0.4 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Dec (18% of weeks), then Nov (17%) and Feb (17%). Least in May (4%). May to September averages 8%.

15 Jan
17 Feb
13 Mar
7 Apr
4 May
10 Jun
11 Jul
7 Aug
10 Sep
16 Oct
17 Nov
18 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 21 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 11.9% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 3.3% at D2, 0.5% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 26 weeks, Sep 16, 2025 to Mar 10, 2026.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 19 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 10 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.