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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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Moderate to severe drought (D1/D2) conditions existed in far northeast Arkansas in mid-May. Next Page Update: June 2, 2024
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| Drought Conditions (Percent Area) |
| Category |
Coverage |
| None |
83.24% |
| D0-D4 |
16.76% |
| D1-D4 |
5.15% |
| D2-D4 |
0.20% |
| D3-D4 |
0% |
| D4 |
0% |
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| In the picture: There were moderate to severe drought (D1/D2) conditions in far northeast Arkansas on 05/14/2024. |
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| In the picture: Drought conditions as of 05/14/2024. |
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Across the country, the worst drought conditions (at least D3) were in the portions of the Rockies and central and southern Plains.
Here at home in May (through the 15th), one to two inch rainfall deficits were common across northeast Arkansas and the Ouachita Mountains of the west. Meanwhile, there was a one to more than two inch surplus of liquid from northwest into central sections of the state.
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| Precipitation in May, 2024 (Through the 15th) |
| Site |
Amount |
Normal |
+/- |
% of Normal |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
4.12 |
3.06 |
+1.06 |
135% |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
2.40 |
2.61 |
-0.21 |
92% |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
1.45 |
2.89 |
-1.44 |
50% |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
5.05 |
2.81 |
+2.24 |
180% |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
3.74 |
2.70 |
+1.04 |
139% |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
2.65 |
2.75 |
-0.10 |
96% |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
2.22 |
2.64 |
-0.42 |
84% |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
2.55 |
2.46 |
+0.09 |
104% |
| Pine Bluff (SE AR) |
2.08 |
2.55 |
-0.47 |
82% |
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| In the picture: Precipitation across Arkansas in April, 2024. |
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In April, precipitation was below average (by one to three inches) in the north/east, and above average (by one to more than four inches) south of Little Rock (Pulaski County).
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| Precipitation in April, 2024 |
| Site |
Amount |
Normal |
+/- |
% of Normal |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
4.30 |
5.01 |
-0.71 |
86% |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
3.86 |
4.98 |
-1.12 |
78% |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
2.70 |
5.15 |
-2.45 |
52% |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
4.81 |
4.87 |
-0.06 |
99% |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
4.88 |
5.59 |
-0.71 |
87% |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
3.90 |
5.03 |
-1.13 |
78% |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
7.31 |
4.43 |
+2.88 |
165% |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
11.03 |
5.39 |
+5.64 |
205% |
| Pine Bluff (SE AR) |
4.84 |
5.35 |
-0.51 |
90% |
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In 2024 (through May 15th), wet to very wet conditions were found across the central and southern counties, and it was somewhat dry in the north/east.
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| Precipitation in 2024 (Through May 15th) |
| Site |
Amount |
Normal |
+/- |
% of Normal |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
16.29 |
17.36 |
-1.07 |
94% |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
16.08 |
16.59 |
-0.51 |
97% |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
17.77 |
20.08 |
-2.31 |
88% |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
21.24 |
17.18 |
+4.06 |
124% |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
26.83 |
20.72 |
+6.11 |
129% |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
17.71 |
21.01 |
-3.30 |
84% |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
25.40 |
19.44 |
+5.96 |
131% |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
35.28 |
21.81 |
+13.47 |
162% |
| Pine Bluff (SE AR) |
21.96 |
21.28 |
+0.68 |
103% |
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| In the picture: Drought outlook through August, 2024. |
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Looking ahead, El Niño (warmer than normal water temperatures near the equator in the Pacific Ocean) will stick around through the first half of 2024 before transitioning to La Niña (cooler than normal water) later in the year. Long range models continue to show more wetness than dryness in the coming weeks (heading into the early summer), and drought is not expected to become much of an issue in the foreseeable future. As La Niña becomes more dominant in the late summer/fall, we may be faced with dryness and drought depending on how much precipitation is provided by the tropics. The forecast calls for a more active than usual hurricane season. We will monitor the situation closely.
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| Precipitation Statistics (2019-2023) |
| Site |
2023 |
+/- |
2022 |
+/- |
2021 |
+/- |
2020 |
+/- |
2019 |
+/- |
Total +/- |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
44.89 |
-2.07 |
41.76 |
-5.20 |
42.60 |
-4.36 |
49.86 |
+1.35 |
65.26 |
+16.75 |
+6.47 |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
44.59 |
+0.09 |
43.23 |
-1.27 |
46.81 |
+2.31 |
53.60 |
+9.46 |
56.98 |
+12.84 |
+23.43 |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
48.43 |
-0.08 |
47.27 |
-1.24 |
41.36 |
-7.15 |
56.25 |
+8.15 |
65.89 |
+17.79 |
+17.47 |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
45.29 |
-2.05 |
56.01 |
+8.67 |
50.60 |
+3.26 |
61.62 |
+16.16 |
67.50 |
+22.04 |
+48.08 |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
56.86 |
+6.44 |
48.29 |
-2.13 |
43.71 |
-6.71 |
60.04 |
+10.29 |
60.46 |
+10.71 |
+18.60 |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
46.99 |
-3.41 |
53.17 |
+2.77 |
44.66 |
-5.74 |
53.89 |
+1.66 |
73.86 |
+20.63 |
+15.91 |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
56.66 |
+7.79 |
45.38 |
-3.49 |
47.03 |
-1.84 |
68.81 |
+19.16 |
51.53 |
+1.88 |
+23.50 |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
57.11 |
+4.99 |
50.41 |
-1.71 |
49.27 |
-2.85 |
66.18 |
+13.26 |
60.64 |
+7.72 |
+21.41 |
| Pine Bluff (SE AR) |
48.39 |
-2.42 |
46.87 |
-3.94 |
44.94 |
-5.87 |
63.04 |
+11.89 |
63.96 |
+12.81 |
+12.47 |
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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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