Drought in Cross County, AR: 3.1 years in 10 since 2000

3.1 years in 10

Cross County, AR: 8 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (38 wk), 2001 (22 wk), 2005 (22 wk), 2006 (18 wk), 2010 (18 wk), 2011 (27 wk), 2012 (29 wk) and 2022 (18 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

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 Sep, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Against the rest of AR

49th most drought-prone of 75 AR counties; the AR middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Crittenden County (3.1 in 10) and Logan County (3.1 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 Sep (32% of weeks), then Nov (30%) and Aug (29%). Least in Apr (9%). May to September averages 20%.

23 Jan
14 Feb
9 Mar
9 Apr
11 May
12 Jun
16 Jul
29 Aug
32 Sep
27 Oct
30 Nov
26 Dec

The worst year: 2000

2000: 38 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 19.8% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 9.3% at D2, 2.4% at D3, 6 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 29 weeks, May 22, 2012 to Dec 4, 2012.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 18 weeks. 2016-2025: 1 in 10, against 4.4 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 35 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.