Drought Information Statement for the Mid-South Valid February 20, 2026 Issued By: National Weather Service Memphis, TN Contact Information: nws.memphis@noaa.gov This product will be updated March 14, 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/MEG/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates. A small patch of Exceptional (D4) Drought exists in northeast Arkansas with Extreme (D3), Severe (D2), Moderate (D1), and Abnormally Dry (D0) drought conditions elsewhere. Drought conditions in eastern Arkansas and northwest Mississippi are expected to persist through the end of May with improvement elsewhere. U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): A sliver of southwest Craighead and northwest Poinsett counties in Arkansas. D3 (Extreme Drought): A portion of northeast Arkansas. D2 (Severe Drought): A sliver of West Tennessee and portions of northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, and north Mississippi. D1 (Moderate Drought): Portions of eastern Arkansas, north Mississippi, and West Tennessee. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Portions of north Mississippi and West Tennessee. Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: None. No Change: Portions of northeast and eastern Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, and northwest Mississippi. Drought Improved: Most of West Tennessee, portions of northeast Arkansas, and a sliver of north Mississippi. Precipitation Precipitation was below normal across northern and southern portions of the Mid-South over the last 30 days with near normal precipitation generally along the I-40 corridor. Northern portions of the region ranged from 1-2” of accumulation with 4-6” in the south. Temperature Temperatures were widely above normal, by 8 or more degrees, over the last week. Temperatures leaned slightly below normal by 1-6 degrees over the last 30 days. Summary of Impacts See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts Streamflow is below normal across the lower Mississippi River Basin and the Tennessee River Basin. Agricultural Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Fire Hazard Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Other Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts The Mississippi River at Memphis is currently experiencing below normal flow. The extended river forecast shows a steady rise from upstream snow melt. The Tennessee River is also experiencing near normal to below normal flow at Savannah, TN, and Bruceton, TN. Agricultural Impacts Due to recent precipitation, the crop moisture index is favoring slightly above normal water available across northeast Mississippi. Fire Hazard Impacts The wildland fire outlook for the Mid-South is expected to remain normal for February. The wildland fire outlook is expected to be above normal across north Mississippi in March, and normal elsewhere across the region. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Several disturbances will cross the region over the next 7 days resulting in greater than half an inch of precipitation expected area wide. Highest accumulations are expected along the Tennessee River. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage There is a 33-40% chance of experiencing above normal precipitation across northern portions of the region and near normal chances elsewhere in March. There is a 50-70% chance of experiencing above normal temperatures for the rest in March across the Mid-South. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought across west Tennessee is expected to end by the end of May. Drought across eastern Arkansas and northwest Mississippi is expected to persist or improve by the end of May.