Drought in Wilson County, NC: 3.1 years in 10 since 2000

3.1 years in 10

Wilson County, NC: 8 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2001 (15 wk), 2002 (41 wk), 2007 (26 wk), 2008 (32 wk), 2011 (18 wk), 2012 (17 wk), 2022 (21 wk) and 2025 (28 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2023.

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 Mar, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of NC

53rd most drought-prone of 100 NC counties; the NC middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Wake County (3.1 in 10) and Warren County (3.1 in 10). Driest in NC: Cleveland County (5 in 10). Least drought: Gates County (1.5 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Mar (26% of weeks), then Jul (25%) and Apr (23%). Least in Oct (15%). May to September averages 21%.

17 Jan
21 Feb
26 Mar
23 Apr
15 May
18 Jun
25 Jul
21 Aug
23 Sep
15 Oct
15 Nov
20 Dec

The worst year: 2002

2002: 41 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 20% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 8.8% at D2, 2.5% at D3, 18 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 59 weeks, Sep 23, 2025 to Nov 3, 2026.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 28 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.8 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 44 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.