DroughtOdds

Drought in Franklin County, AR: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

Franklin County, AR: 7 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

  1. 10
  2. 0
  3. 4
  4. 5
  5. 0
  6. 20
  7. 29
  8. 1
  9. 0
  10. 0
  11. 1
  12. 31
  13. 31
  14. 14
  15. 0
  16. 0
  17. 7
  18. 28
  19. 12
  20. 0
  21. 0
  22. 0
  23. 16
  24. 0
  25. 1
  26. 1

20002025

Drought years: 2005 (20 wk), 2006 (29 wk), 2011 (31 wk), 2012 (31 wk), 2013 (14 wk), 2017 (28 wk) and 2022 (16 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023.

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

72nd most drought-prone of 75 AR counties; the AR middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Mississippi County (2.7 in 10) and Yell County (2.3 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 (27% of weeks), then Aug (25%) and Jan (23%). Least in Jun (8%). May to September averages 15%.

  1. 23 Jan
  2. 21 Feb
  3. 19 Mar
  4. 16 Apr
  5. 11 May
  6. 8 Jun
  7. 11 Jul
  8. 25 Aug
  9. 21 Sep
  10. 27 Oct
  11. 18 Nov
  12. 15 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 31 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 17.8% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 8.7% at D2, 3.5% at D3, 9 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 45 weeks, May 29, 2012 to Apr 2, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 16 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 38 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Franklin County lands on the plan covered in changing to a drought-tolerant grass. Its worst year, 2012, was one of the worst nationally too; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Franklin County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.