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

2.7 years in 10

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

20002025

Drought years: 2005 (28 wk), 2006 (44 wk), 2011 (37 wk), 2012 (30 wk), 2013 (17 wk), 2018 (14 wk) and 2022 (31 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2019 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

57th most drought-prone of 75 AR counties; the AR middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Little River County (2.7 in 10) and Pike 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 Oct (36% of weeks), then Nov (34%) and Sep (31%). Least in May (10%). May to September averages 20%.

25 Jan
21 Feb
19 Mar
10 Apr
10 May
17 Jun
20 Jul
24 Aug
31 Sep
36 Oct
34 Nov
20 Dec

The worst year: 2006

2006: 44 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 22.1% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 13.2% at D2, 6.6% at D3, 21 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 54 weeks, Oct 25, 2005 to Oct 31, 2006.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 31 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.