Drought Information Statement for Southeast Arkansas, Northeast Louisiana and Central Mississippi Valid May 1, 2026 Issued By: NWS Jackson, MS Contact Information: nws.jacksonms@noaa.gov This product will be updated May 8, 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 Southeast Arkansas, Northeast Louisiana, and a small area of Southwest and Northeast Mississippi Severe (D2) conditions persist for Central and South Mississippi Moderate drought (D1) conditions continue for Southeast Mississippi 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): None D3 (Extreme Drought): Southeast Arkansas, and most of northeast Louisiana along with a small area of northeast and southwest Mississippi D2 (Severe Drought): most of central and south Mississippi D1 (Moderate Drought): Southeast Mississippi D0: (Abnormally Dry): None Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Recent Change in Drought Intensity Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change Drought Worsened: Southeast Arkansas and most of central and south Mississippi No Change: Southwest Mississippi and northeast Louisiana Drought Improved: a small area of southwest Mississippi Link to the latest 4-week change map Monthly Values Precipitation Rain over the past two weeks brought values close to normal Western portions of the area remain below normal for the month Past 7 days Precipitation Much needed rain has fallen over the past week Rainfall amounts were from 2-6” with some isolated higher amounts Link to Southern Regional Climate Center Seven Day Precipitation Forecast There will be several more opportunities for rain over the next week Rainfall amounts from 2-5” generally north of I-20 Rainfall amounts from 1-3” generally south of I-20 Higher amounts can be expected with thunderstorms Daily USGS Streamflow Streamflow was normal to above normal for most of the area Fire Hazard Impacts Fire potential is expected to be normal for May Fire potential is expected to be above normal for northeast Louisiana in June JAN CWA does not have any burn bans in effect at this time Arkansas Burn Bans Louisiana Burn Bans Mississippi Burn Bans Monthly Fire Potential Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center 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 Slightly below normal temperatures Above normal rainfall Temperature Departure from normal Temperatures will be near normal for the week Above normal temperatures expected for the May Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Rainfall Outlook Climate Prediction Center Monthly Temperature Outlook Long-Range Outlooks Monthly Temperature and Rainfall May temperatures will generally be normal Rainfall will generally be slightly above to above normal Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Rainfall Outlook Climate Prediction Center Monthly Temperature Outlook Long-Range Outlooks Seasonal Temperature and Rainfall Seasonal forecasts show temperatures generally above normal Rainfall will generally be normal 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 through May Seasonal drought forecasts show drought conditions improving or ending 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