--- title: Drought History in Northern Nevada Since 2000 by County url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/drought-history-northern-nevada/ business: Battle Born Tree Service address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701 phone: 775.232.8243 hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood) --- - [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/) - [Local data](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/) - Drought history in Northern Nevada since 2000 # Drought history in Northern Nevada since 2000 Between 2000 and 2025, some part of Washoe County was in drought on 926 of 1,357 weekly maps, or 68% of weeks, and some part of Carson City on 733, or 54%. In extreme drought, Washoe leads with 459 weeks and 2013 was the worst year for four counties. | County | Weekly maps 2000-2025 | Weeks with any part in drought (D1+) | Share of weeks in drought | Weeks with half the county or more in drought | Weeks with any part in extreme drought (D3+) | Year with the most extreme-drought weeks | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Washoe County | 1,357 | 926 | 68% | 791 | 459 | 2013 | | Mineral County | 1,357 | 898 | 66% | 773 | 433 | 2013 | | Churchill County | 1,357 | 874 | 64% | 832 | 433 | 2013 | | Lyon County | 1,357 | 868 | 64% | 791 | 386 | 2013 | | Storey County | 1,357 | 835 | 62% | 777 | 274 | 2015 | | Douglas County | 1,357 | 787 | 58% | 675 | 252 | 2015 | | Carson City | 1,357 | 733 | 54% | 702 | 238 | 2015 | Source: [U.S. Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA, NOAA), county statistics, percent of area, weekly maps 2000-2025](https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/DataDownload.aspx). A week counts when any part of the county was mapped in that category on that week's map. D1 = moderate drought, D3 = extreme. Weeks are assigned to the year of the map date. [Download this table (CSV)](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/drought-history-northern-nevada/drought-history-northern-nevada.csv) The U.S. Drought Monitor draws a map every week, and the National Drought Mitigation Center publishes the share of each county that falls in each drought category. This page adds up those weekly maps for the seven counties we work in, so you can see how often dry conditions have been part of the picture. It is background, not a forecast. ## How the table works A week counts toward the second column when any part of the county was mapped in moderate drought (D1) or worse that week. The fourth column counts the weeks when half the county or more was. Extreme drought (D3) is the most severe category the table counts. Weeks are assigned to the year of the map date, so some years have 53. Because a county map covers a large area and a week counts when only a corner of the county is in drought, the numbers are generous toward drought. Use them to compare counties and years, not to say that every yard was dry. ## What stands out In every county, some part of the county was in drought in more than half of all weeks since 2000. - Washoe County leads at 926 of 1,357 weeks (68%), then Mineral (66%), Churchill and Lyon (64%), Storey (62%), Douglas (58%) and Carson City (54%). - Weeks with half the county or more in drought: Churchill 832, Washoe and Lyon 791 each, Storey 777, Mineral 773, Carson City 702 and Douglas 675. - Weeks with any part in extreme drought: Washoe 459, Mineral and Churchill 433, Lyon 386, Storey 274, Douglas 252 and Carson City 238. - The worst years were 2013 for Washoe, Mineral, Churchill and Lyon, and 2015 for Storey, Douglas and Carson City. In Washoe County extreme drought was on the map for all 53 weeks of 2013 and for 52 weeks in each of 2004, 2014, 2015 and 2021. - Some years were clear: Washoe had no drought weeks in 2000 or 2006, and Carson City none in 2000, 2006, 2011 or 2019. ## What it means for trees Years of dry conditions stress trees in slow ways: smaller leaves, thin crowns, dieback at the tips and more dead wood. An arborist checks where the dieback starts. Our [drought stress and dieback page](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/drought-stress-and-dieback/) covers identification, and the [mature tree watering guide](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/watering-mature-trees-high-desert/) covers the water side. If a tree has too much dead wood, the usual answers are [dead wooding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/dead-wooding/) or, where the tree is failing, removal after a certified arborist's assessment. Drought also dries the fuel that wildfire needs. That connects this page to [wildfire risk by community](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/wildfire-risk-by-community/) and to [defensible space](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/what-is-defensible-space/). ## Limits of the data A drought map measures moisture conditions across a county from rainfall, snowpack, streamflow and other inputs. It does not measure the water in your soil or the condition of any tree. Irrigated trees can be healthy in a drought year, and unwatered ones can be stressed in a wet one. The table starts in 2000, so earlier droughts are not shown. A county average also hides elevation: the same week can be dry in the valley and wetter at Tahoe. ### Sources - [U.S. Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA, NOAA): county statistics, weekly maps 2000-2025](https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/DataDownload.aspx) (pulled October 17, 2026) ### Talk to the office [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm | |---|---| | Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered | Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service. [Free estimate](#quote) ### Keep reading - [Drought stress and dieback](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/drought-stress-and-dieback/) - [Watering mature trees in the high desert](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/watering-mature-trees-high-desert/) - [Bark beetle and forest insect damage in Nevada by year](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/forest-insect-damage-nevada/) - [Wildfire risk to homes by community in Northern Nevada](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/wildfire-risk-by-community/) - [Snow, rain and temperature normals by weather station](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/climate-normals-by-station/) ## Questions people ask Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### How often has Northern Nevada been in drought since 2000? On the weekly maps, some part of the county was in drought for 54% of weeks in Carson City, 58% in Douglas and 68% in Washoe. ### Which was the worst drought year? 2013 for Washoe, Lyon, Churchill and Mineral counties, and 2015 for Carson City, Douglas and Storey counties, by weeks of extreme drought. ### Is a week in 'drought' the same as the whole county being dry? No. A week counts if any part of the county was mapped in that category. The half-county column shows when most of it was. ### Were there drought-free years? Yes. Washoe County had no drought weeks in 2000 and 2006, and one week in 2011 and 2017. Carson City had none in 2000, 2006, 2011 or 2019.