As October draws to a close, so does our season of weekly watering alerts.
Every Monday from the beginning of April to the end of October – give or take a few holidays – we posted weekly watering recommendations, informing DC residents whether they should water their trees or hold their horses (or hoses).
Interpreting data from NOAA/National Weather Service’s observed and predicted precipitation amounts, drought monitoring, and local forecasts for the DC Metro area, we issued alerts from three categories: must water, consider watering, and water not needed.
Here’s how watering shaped up in 2025.
A YEAR IN WATER
Today’s final watering alert for the week of October 27 to November 2 is to consider watering, meaning that the forecast is variable and that residents should check their trees for signs showing that they’re thirsty; i.e. wilted leaves or dry soil. This makes the final standing of our 25 suggestions read at 17 alerts for must water, 6 for consider watering, and only 2 recommendations for water not needed.
You may be wondering: How do we determine which alert to send out?
An easily remembered rule for watering trees is at least 10 gallons per inch of the base trunk diameter, per week. Depending on a tree’s size, it could need up to 25 gallons of water per week, which roughly translates to 1.5 inches of rainfall. Therefore, using the data we have at hand, we try to determine if DC will receive at least 1.5 inches of rainfall in a week.
As the pie chart above shows, we often need the people of DC to lend a helping hand to take good care of our canopy.
And as the years go on, our rainfall seems to get increasingly more variable. The bar graphs below compare precipitation totals during our watering alert months in 2025 with historic rainfall averages in DC, and the data paints a distinct contrast.
*Note: This data was collected on 10/24/25*
Comparing this year’s rainfall to the historic monthly averages, we seem a bit all over the place. May and June experienced wetter-than-average conditions while August witnessed record drought conditions. As climate change makes our weather increasingly unpredictable, it’s important that we remain vigilant to make sure we’re giving our trees the proper care they need. Just as our weather conditions vary, so must our watering alerts!
And even though our weekly alerts are hibernating for the winter, it’s still essential that our trees stay hydrated through the colder months, especially the young ones. November will likely have some temperate days ahead, so it’s vital that you continue watering as long as conditions are warm and dry. When the temperature dips below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and enters the 30s for several days, you can drop those hoses and cease watering until the Spring.
For more information, check out our watering and young tree care pages.
We’ll see you next year for watering in 2026!
