Drought in Bradley County, AR: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

Bradley County, AR: 9 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (27 wk), 2005 (19 wk), 2006 (23 wk), 2010 (28 wk), 2011 (48 wk), 2012 (18 wk), 2013 (16 wk), 2022 (27 wk) and 2024 (19 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2020.

Keep a lawn, but switch to drought-tolerant grass

Dry years come often enough to kill a thirsty lawn every few summers. Keep the lawn, reseed with a drought-tolerant mix, and put the beds on drip.

If you reseed, use a drought-tolerant mix and do it well clear of Oct, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of AR

18th most drought-prone of 75 AR counties; the AR middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Sevier County (3.5 in 10) and Drew County (3.5 in 10). Driest in AR: Lee County (4.6 in 10). Least drought: Clay County (2.3 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Oct (40% of weeks), then Sep (36%) and Nov (32%). Least in May (8%). May to September averages 22%.

28 Jan
17 Feb
16 Mar
10 Apr
8 May
17 Jun
21 Jul
29 Aug
36 Sep
40 Oct
32 Nov
30 Dec

The worst year: 2011

2011: 48 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 23.7% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 12.5% at D2, 2.9% at D3, 13 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 72 weeks, Jul 20, 2010 to Nov 29, 2011.

Lately

Last drought year: 2024, 19 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 4.4 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 44 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.