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

2.7 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (19 wk), 2005 (17 wk), 2012 (31 wk), 2017 (28 wk), 2018 (13 wk), 2022 (27 wk) and 2025 (20 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 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 Jan, the month drought is most common here. Put beds on drip before the next dry year.

Drought has been more common in 2016-2025 (4 years in 10) than in 2000-2015 (1.9 in 10).

Against the rest of AR

65th most drought-prone of 75 AR counties; the AR middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Greene County (2.7 in 10) and Sebastian County (2.7 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 Jan (28% of weeks), then Sep (26%) and Oct (26%). Least in Mar (8%). May to September averages 19%.

28 Jan
16 Feb
8 Mar
16 Apr
15 May
15 Jun
15 Jul
25 Aug
26 Sep
26 Oct
21 Nov
20 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 31 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 19.2% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 9.2% at D2, 3% at D3, 31 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 47 weeks, Aug 19, 2025 to Jul 7, 2026.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 20 weeks. 2016-2025: 4 in 10, against 1.9 in 10 for 2000-2015, drier lately. So far in 2026: 41 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.