In short
- Since 2000, half or more of Lubbock County was in severe drought (D2 or worse) in 407 of 1,399 weeks, about 29 percent.
- The longest run was 178 weeks in a row, from April 2011 to September 2014.
- Right now (week of 20 October 2026): 64 percent of the county is in some drought, 33 percent in severe drought, none in extreme.
- Clay soil under many Lubbock slabs shrinks when dry and swells when wet, so long droughts followed by heavy rain are a setup for uneven movement. A map cannot tell you what your house is doing.
On this page
This Lubbock drought history page counts every weekly U.S. Drought Monitor map for Lubbock County from January 2000 to October 2026. It shows how often the county is dry, how long the worst droughts lasted, where things stood in late October 2026, and how that connects to expansive clay under Lubbock foundations.
A week counts when that level of drought, or worse, covered at least half of the county on that week's map. The categories run from D1 (moderate) to D4 (exceptional). Weeks with no D1 or worse drought anywhere in the county: 760, about 54 percent.
Where Lubbock stood in late October 2026
The map for the week of 20 October 2026 shows 64 percent of the county in drought of at least D1 and 33 percent in D2 or worse. Nothing is in D3 or D4. Because the severe-drought share is under half, that week does not count in the totals above. For this week's map, see the U.S. Drought Monitor (updated every Thursday).
| Category (or worse) | Meaning | Share of county |
|---|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry | Watch level, not yet drought | 83.5% |
| D1 moderate | Some dryness damage | 64.1% |
| D2 severe | Losses likely | 32.8% |
| D3 extreme | Major losses | 0% |
2026 so far: at least half the county was in D1 or worse every one of the 42 weekly maps this year, and in D2 or worse for 24 of them. The map went mostly clear of severe drought through the summer, then dryness came back in the fall. See the current Lubbock County table for the latest week.
The big droughts: three stand out
| Drought (D2+ over half the county) | Dates | Weeks in a row |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 to 2014 | 26 Apr 2011 to 16 Sep 2014 | 178 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 11 Jan 2022 to 23 May 2023 | 72 |
| 2018 | 2 Jan 2018 to 2 Oct 2018 | 40 |
The 2011 to 2014 stretch is the standout. Inside it, half or more of the county was in extreme drought (D3) for 138 weeks and in exceptional drought (D4) for 72. Lubbock's airport recorded 5.86 inches of rain in 2011, its driest year on record (see Lubbock's rainfall swings). The 2022 to 2023 run was shorter but at its worst, in May 2022, the whole county was in D4.
Year by year: how many weeks in severe drought?
Each bar is the number of weekly maps in that year when D2 or worse covered half or more of the county (a year has 52 or 53 maps).
Eleven of these 27 years had no week at all with half the county in severe drought, and 2019 had just one. The dry years are bunched: 2011 to 2014 and 2022 are the heavy ones.
Why a long drought matters on expansive clay
Many Lubbock lots sit on clay-bearing soil. Clay takes up water and swells, then shrinks as it dries. County-wide, most mapped soil is low to moderate in shrink-swell, with small patches that are far higher; our soil survey page has the numbers.
Long dry spell
- Soil dries and shrinks, often most at the edges of the slab
- Ground can crack and pull away from the foundation
Then heavy rain
- Water pours into dry, cracked soil
- One side can swell before the other, so the slab moves unevenly
The risk is usually the swing, and unevenness more than the average. For example, May 2015 measured 12.13 inches at the airport, roughly two-thirds of a normal year, right after the 2011 to 2014 drought ended. On the drought map, 2015 had no week with half the county in D1 or worse.
What this page does not say: it cannot link drought to any repair, cost or particular house. Cracks have many causes, including drainage, plumbing leaks and trees. If you see doors binding or cracks widening, read the signs of foundation problems and consider an engineer's evaluation.
What owners can do in a dry year
- Keep moisture around the slab steady rather than wet; see watering your foundation in Lubbock.
- Check City of Lubbock watering rules before running a hose.
- Keep gutters and downspouts carrying water away from the slab.
- Note the date and width of any crack so you can show a trend.
- Photograph door and window gaps at the same spots each season.
How we counted, and the limits
- Weekly, county-wide. Each figure is the percent of Lubbock County's area in each category on that week's map, not a measurement at your address.
- Cumulative categories. "D2+" means D2, D3 or D4. The totals count weeks where that share was 50 percent or more.
- Drought is not soil moisture. The Drought Monitor blends rainfall, soil, streamflow and other indicators, with expert judgment. It does not show moisture in the clay around your slab.
- Snapshot date. Data covers 4 January 2000 to the week of 20 October 2026, pulled 26 October 2026.
Sources
- U.S. Drought Monitor, produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. County statistics from the Drought Monitor data services, FIPS 48303 (Lubbock County). We counted and summarized the weekly values.
- Rainfall figures: NOAA NCEI records for Lubbock International Airport, as used in our watering guide.
Frequently asked questions
How often is Lubbock in drought?
Counting weekly U.S. Drought Monitor maps from January 2000 to 20 October 2026 (1,399 weeks), at least half of Lubbock County was in drought of any level (D1 or worse) in 573 weeks, about 41 percent. Half or more was in severe drought (D2 or worse) in 407 weeks, about 29 percent. Another 760 weeks, about 54 percent, had no D1 or worse drought anywhere in the county. It is clustered, not steady: a few long droughts account for most of those weeks.
Was 2011 the worst drought in Lubbock?
On these maps, 2011 is the start of the longest one. From the week of 26 April 2011 to the week of 16 September 2014, half or more of the county was in severe drought or worse every single week: 178 weeks in a row. Within it, extreme drought (D3) covered half or more of the county in 138 weeks and exceptional drought (D4) in 72. Airport rainfall in 2011 was 5.86 inches, the lowest year on record there.
What is Lubbock County's drought status right now?
On the map for the week of 20 October 2026, 64 percent of the county was in D1 or worse, 33 percent in D2 or worse, and none in D3 or D4. That is a snapshot; this page is updated by hand, so check the Drought Monitor link below for the current week.
Does drought crack a foundation?
Not by itself, and a weekly drought map cannot tell you anything about a particular house. What is generally understood is that clay-rich soil shrinks as it dries and swells as it gets wet, so a slab can be pulled unevenly by soil moisture changes, especially when one side of the house is drier than another. A long dry spell is one of several things that set this up. Drainage, trees and how the lot was built matter as much. An engineer can tell you what is happening at your house.
Should I water my foundation during a drought?
Many owners on the South Plains do, aiming for steady moisture rather than wet soil, and following the City of Lubbock watering rules, which can be tightened in dry periods. Our foundation watering guide covers hose placement, frequency and the risks of overwatering.
Does the Drought Monitor map cover just my neighborhood?
No. Each weekly figure is the share of the whole county in each drought category, drawn from regional-scale maps. Your lot can be drier or wetter than the county figure. Treat it as the backdrop, not a measurement of the soil under your house.