Drought in Tippecanoe, Indiana

D2 conditions at the start of the month worsened to D3 on March 3rd before heavy rains trimmed the drought levels weekly through the end of the month. By the March 31st issuance, only a small sliver of northern Tippecanoe county remained in D2. Rainfall amounts over the month were as much as 4 to 6 inches which allowed for the improvement of severe drought conditions.

Overall dry conditions that had peaked with widespread Extreme Drought (D3) in early March 2026 generally dissipated or significantly improved throughout the remainder of the month. While the month began with an intensification on March 3rd that expanded D3 across counties like Carroll, Clinton, and Howard, a pattern of heavy rainfall triggered weekly improvements. By the March 31st update, Severe Drought (D2) and Extreme Drought (D3) had been completely removed from nearly all 17 previously affected counties.

This dramatic shift included the total elimination of D2/D3 conditions in a broad sub-region covering Warren, Vermillion, Fountain, Vigo, Parke, Montgomery, Boone, Clinton, Howard, Tipton, Hamilton, Madison, Delaware, Henry, and Randolph counties. By the end of the month, the only remaining vestiges of the winter drought were limited to the northern half of Carroll County and a small sliver of northern Tippecanoe County, which both remained in D2. In the eastern corridor, D3 conditions'which had been steady for months'were systematically trimmed back between March 10th and March 24th before finally being removed.

Precipitation throughout March was exceptionally high for these areas, with totals ranging from 4 to as much as 9 inches. Specifically, western counties like Warren and Fountain saw deluge amounts of 9 inches, while the central corridor from Vigo to Boone received 6 to 8.5 inches, providing the necessary moisture to end the drought status by mid-month. Even in the more stubborn drought areas of the northeast, such as Delaware and Howard counties, monthly totals of 4 to 5.5 inches neared or exceeded double the normal rainfall, finally allowing for the termination of severe drought conditions. The remaining counties in D2 would see improvements out of severe drought in early April.