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

3.1 years in 10

Hempstead 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 (16 wk), 2005 (26 wk), 2006 (46 wk), 2010 (14 wk), 2011 (40 wk), 2012 (30 wk), 2013 (31 wk) and 2022 (30 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009 and 2014.

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

Against the rest of AR

38th most drought-prone of 75 AR counties; the AR middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Miller County (3.1 in 10) and Desha 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 Nov (39% of weeks), then Oct (39%) and Dec (32%). Least in May (9%). May to September averages 20%.

23 Jan
23 Feb
21 Mar
16 Apr
9 May
17 Jun
23 Jul
24 Aug
28 Sep
39 Oct
39 Nov
32 Dec

The worst year: 2006

2006: 46 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 24.6% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 11.3% at D2, 5.9% at D3, 24 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 49 weeks, Jun 5, 2012 to May 7, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 30 weeks. 2016-2025: 1 in 10, against 4.4 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 34 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.