Drought in Zapata County, TX: 6.5 years in 10 since 2000

6.5 years in 10

Zapata County, TX: 17 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. More drought-prone than most US counties.

1. 40
2. 32
3. 28
4. 0
5. 0
6. 23
7. 49
8. 0
9. 29
10. 43
11. 9
12. 46
13. 52
14. 43
15. 0
16. 4
17. 0
18. 1
19. 13
20. 34
21. 27
22. 23
23. 24
24. 34
25. 6
26. 35

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (40 wk), 2001 (32 wk), 2002 (28 wk), 2005 (23 wk), 2006 (49 wk), 2008 (29 wk), 2009 (43 wk), 2011 (46 wk), 2012 (52 wk), 2013 (43 wk), 2018 (13 wk), 2019 (34 wk), 2020 (27 wk), 2021 (23 wk), 2022 (24 wk), 2023 (34 wk) and 2025 (35 wk). Not a single drought week in 2003, 2004, 2007, 2014 and 2016.

Plan for drought as normal: shrink the lawn, go drip and natives

Drought is the normal state of things here. Most of the yard goes to natives and gravel on drip; any grass that stays is a small, tough patch.

If you are replacing turf, plant natives in fall so roots set before the Mar peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

Against the rest of TX

47th most drought-prone of 254 TX counties; the TX middle is 5.8 in 10. Closest on the list: Jim Hogg County (6.5 in 10) and Crane County (6.5 in 10). Driest in TX: Uvalde County (7.7 in 10). Least drought: Jasper County (2.3 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Mar (56% of weeks), then Apr (56%) and Aug (54%). Least in Nov (36%). May to September averages 46%.

1. 40 Jan
2. 45 Feb
3. 56 Mar
4. 56 Apr
5. 48 May
6. 36 Jun
7. 45 Jul
8. 54 Aug
9. 46 Sep
10. 38 Oct
11. 36 Nov
12. 38 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 52 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 44.8% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 26.9% at D2, 13.8% at D3, 80 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 136 weeks, Feb 22, 2011 to Sep 24, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 35 weeks. 2016-2025: 7 in 10, against 6.3 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 33 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Zapata County lands on the plan covered in shrinking the lawn. Its worst year, 2012, was one of the worst nationally too; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Zapata County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.