Drought Information Statement for Southeast Arkansas, Northeast Louisiana and Central Mississippi Valid April 16, 2026 Issued By: NWS Jackson, MS Contact Information: nws.jacksonms@noaa.gov This product will be updated April 24, 2026 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/JAN/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Drought conditions continue across the region Extreme (D3) conditions continue for parts of Northeast Louisiana, the Mississippi Delta and Southwest Mississippi Severe (D2) conditions persist for Southeast Arkansas, parts of Northeast Louisiana, Southwest and Northwest Mississippi Moderate drought (D1) conditions continue for East and South Mississippi Abnormally dry (D0) conditions continue for parts of Southeast Mississippi 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): None D3 (Extreme Drought): Portions of northeast Louisiana, the Mississippi Delta and southwest Mississippi D2 (Severe Drought): Portions of southeast Arkansas, northeast Louisiana, northwest central and southwest Mississippi D1 (Moderate Drought): Much of east and south Mississippi D0: (Abnormally Dry): Small area of southeast Mississippi Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Recent Change in Drought Intensity Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change Drought Worsened: North Central Mississippi, much of northeast Louisiana and southeast Arkansas No Change: Southwest Mississippi Drought Improved: none Link to the latest 4-week change map Daily USGS Streamflow Streamflow was much below to below normal for most of the area Seven Day Precipitation Forecast A storm system will bring a good chance of rain this weekend Rainfall amounts will generally be around 1” or less Higher amounts can be expected with thunderstorms Rapid Onset Drought Outlook Hazard Outlook For the next 8-14 days, the Gulf States have a low risk of rapid onset drought Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center 8-14 day Rainfall Outlook Climate Prediction Center 8-14 day Temperature Outlook Above normal temperatures Above normal rainfall Monthly Values Precipitation The area remains below normal for rainfall Much of the area was 25%- 50% below normal Fire Hazard Impacts Fire potential is expected to be above normal through April Burn bans are in effect for southeast Arkansas and several Mississippi counties Arkansas Burn Bans Louisiana Burn Bans Mississippi Burn Bans Monthly Fire Potential Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center Long-Range Outlooks Seasonal Temperature and Rainfall Seasonal forecasts show temperatures generally above normal Rainfall will generally be normal to slightly above Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Rainfall Outlook Climate Prediction Center Monthly Temperature Outlook Drought Outlook Monthly and Seasonal Drought Monthly drought forecasts show conditions improving for much of the area Seasonal drought forecasts show drought conditions persisting for southeast Arkansas, northeast Louisiana and most of central Mississippi Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts There are no known impacts at this time Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture remains below normal. Poor pasture conditions were reported and the potential for loss of crops if conditions do not improve Fire Hazard Impacts Burn bans were in effect for southeast Arkansas and several Mississippi counties in the NWS Jackson county warning area Other Impacts There were no known impacts at this time Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality for mitigation information. Links to submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter