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| Abnormally Dry Conditions |
| At times, below normal precipitation will lead to a lack of ground water and worsening drought conditions in Arkansas. Check out the latest conditions below. |
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Monitoring Drought in Arkansas |
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| Drought Status |
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There was no drought in Arkansas to begin March. Next Page Update: April 1, 2023
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| Drought Conditions (Percent Area) |
| Category |
Coverage |
| None |
100% |
| D0-D4 |
0% |
| D1-D4 |
0% |
| D2-D4 |
0% |
| D3-D4 |
0% |
| D4 |
0% |
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| In the picture: There were no drought conditions in Arkansas on 02/28/2023. |
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| In the picture: Drought conditions as of 02/28/2023. |
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Across the country, there were moderate to exceptional drought (D1 to D4) conditions in the western and central United States and the southeast.
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| In the picture: Precipitation in February, 2023. |
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Here at home, February was wet to very wet from west central into central and northeast Arkansas. There was a surplus of rain by one to more than three inches at Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and Little Rock (Pulaski County). Parts of the Ouachita Mountains received over ten inches of precipitation (more than four inches above average). Meanwhile, it was dry in the southeast, with one to two inch rainfall deficits at El Dorado (Union County) and Pine Bluff (Jefferson County).
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| Precipitation in February, 2023 |
| Site |
Amount |
Normal |
+/- |
% of Normal |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
3.08 |
2.56 |
+0.52 |
120% |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
3.34 |
2.42 |
+0.92 |
138% |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
3.95 |
3.79 |
+0.16 |
104% |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
4.03 |
2.69 |
+1.34 |
150% |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
7.62 |
3.97 |
+3.65 |
192% |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
4.13 |
4.31 |
-0.18 |
96% |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
4.54 |
4.28 |
+0.26 |
106% |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
2.79 |
4.47 |
-1.68 |
62% |
| Pine Bluff (SE AR) |
2.47 |
4.27 |
-1.80 |
58% |
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January was very wet in central and eastern sections of the state. Parts of the southeast picked up more than six inches of rain in a twenty four hour period ending at 600 am CST on the 3rd. Through email, one source said a few farmers and a flying service surrounding DeWitt (Arkansas County) had amounts close to a foot! National Weather Service cooperative observers at Saint Charles (Arkansas County) and Cane Creek State Park (Lincoln County) tallied 10.80 inches and 7.30 inches of liquid respectively. These were the highest one day totals on record at these locations. It was not-so-wet in the northwest, with below average precipitation at Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and Harrison (Boone County).
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| Precipitation in January, 2023 |
| Site |
Amount |
Normal |
+/- |
% of Normal |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
3.40 |
2.75 |
+0.65 |
124% |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
2.39 |
2.67 |
-0.28 |
90% |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
5.41 |
3.52 |
+1.89 |
154% |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
1.93 |
2.91 |
-0.98 |
66% |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
8.16 |
3.50 |
+4.66 |
233% |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
8.42 |
3.82 |
+4.60 |
220% |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
4.28 |
3.64 |
+0.64 |
118% |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
9.79 |
4.39 |
+5.40 |
223% |
| Pine Bluff (SE AR) |
9.05 |
3.82 |
+5.23 |
237% |
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Last year (2022), more areas were parched than wet. There was an excess of liquid over two inches from west central into central and northeast Arkansas. This included Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and West Memphis (Crittenden County). Precipitation deficits exceeded three inches at Fayetteville (Washington County), Pine Bluff (Jefferson County), and Texarkana (Miller County).
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| Precipitation in 2022 |
| Site |
Amount |
Normal |
+/- |
% of Normal |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
41.76 |
46.96 |
-5.20 |
89% |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
43.23 |
44.50 |
-1.27 |
97% |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
47.27 |
48.51 |
-1.24 |
97% |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
56.01 |
47.34 |
+8.67 |
118% |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
48.29 |
50.42 |
-2.13 |
96% |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
53.17 |
50.40 |
+2.77 |
105% |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
45.38 |
48.87 |
-3.49 |
93% |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
50.41 |
52.12 |
-1.71 |
97% |
| Pine Bluff (SE AR) |
46.87 |
50.81 |
-3.94 |
92% |
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| In the picture: Drought outlook through May, 2023. |
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Looking ahead, La Niña (cooler than normal water along the equator in the Pacific Ocean) has faded, with a transition to neutral or weak El Niño conditions in the coming months.
As we head through the early spring, long term data is showing at/above normal precipitation across much of the region. Given this, drought is not much of a concern. In fact, flooding along area rivers is more of a worry at this point. With La Niña gone, the summer does not look overly hot/dry. The situation will be monitored closely.
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| Precipitation Statistics (2017-2021) |
| Site |
2021 |
+/- |
2020 |
+/- |
2019 |
+/- |
2018 |
+/- |
2017 |
+/- |
Total +/- |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
42.60 |
-4.36 |
49.86 |
+1.35 |
65.26 |
+16.75 |
46.63 |
-2.15 |
51.22 |
+2.71 |
+14.30 |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
46.81 |
+2.31 |
53.60 |
+9.46 |
56.98 |
+12.84 |
47.78 |
+3.64 |
40.89 |
-3.25 |
+25.00 |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
41.36 |
-7.15 |
56.25 |
+8.15 |
65.89 |
+17.79 |
67.80 |
+19.70 |
46.07 |
-2.03 |
+36.46 |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
50.60 |
+3.26 |
61.62 |
+16.16 |
67.50 |
+22.04 |
54.17 |
+8.71 |
47.96 |
+2.50 |
+52.67 |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
43.71 |
-6.71 |
60.04 |
+10.29 |
60.46 |
+10.71 |
71.41 |
+21.66 |
47.27 |
-2.48 |
+33.47 |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
44.66 |
-5.74 |
53.89 |
+1.66 |
73.86 |
+20.63 |
55.49 |
+3.26 |
46.64 |
-5.59 |
+14.22 |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
47.03 |
-1.84 |
68.81 |
+19.16 |
51.53 |
+1.88 |
54.95 |
+5.30 |
50.03 |
+0.38 |
+24.88 |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
49.27 |
-2.85 |
66.18 |
+13.26 |
60.64 |
+7.72 |
58.98 |
+6.06 |
46.70 |
-6.22 |
+17.97 |
| Pine Bluff (SE AR) |
44.94 |
-5.87 |
63.04 |
+11.89 |
63.96 |
+12.81 |
76.83 |
+25.68 |
50.80 |
-0.35 |
+44.16 |
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Looking back at recorded history, drought is no stranger to Arkansas. The good news is that periods of drought are generally short-lived. That was the case in 2011 when a deluge unfolded from mid-November to mid-December.
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Twelve to more than eighteen inches of rain was measured from Mena (Polk County) to Mount Ida (Montgomery County), Russellville (Pope County), Little Rock (Pulaski County), Jonesboro (Craighead County) and West Memphis (Crittenden County). |
| In the picture: Thirty day rainfall through 600 am CST on 12/11/2011. |
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Hurricane Isaac brought much needed rain to drought stricken areas of the south and east in late August, 2012. Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) had 8.39 inches in the forty eight hour period ending at 700 am CDT on September 1st.
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| In the picture: Hurricane Isaac was just off the coast of Louisiana at 425 pm CDT on 08/28/2012. |
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In September, 2013, areas from Little Rock (Pulaski County) southward got two to four inches of rain, with locally over six inches on the 19th/20th. Some of these amounts exceeded what would normally be expected during the entire month. This busted a short term extreme (D3) drought that peaked just a few days prior to the rain.
The southern half of Arkansas dealt with a moderate to extreme drought (D2 to D4) in October, 2015. Very dry air and heat in the middle of the month made conditions worse. On the 15th, Little Rock experienced the hottest October day on record when the thermometer showed 98 degrees. Fast forward to the wettest November in recorded state history, and the drought was erased.
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| Streamflow and Soil Moisture |
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