Dry soil – Using a screwdriver, you can check to see if your soil is dry and lacking water. Push it into your lawn…you should be able to stick it 6 to 8 inches into your soil easily.
Footprints or mower lines left behind – If you walk or drive on your lawn and notice footprints or mower tracks, your lawn lacks water. Healthy lawns will spring back, but drought-stressed lawns will not. This is often the first sign of drought stress before your lawn starts to brown.
Color changes – Not all grass will turn brown right away…you may notice a blueish-gray color before. This is the beginning stage of drought stress.
Crunching when you walk on your lawn
Patchy brown areas