Drought in Ouachita County, AR: 3.5 years in 10 since 2000

3.5 years in 10

Ouachita County, AR: 9 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. About as drought-prone as a typical US county.

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (24 wk), 2005 (25 wk), 2006 (30 wk), 2010 (24 wk), 2011 (42 wk), 2012 (21 wk), 2013 (17 wk), 2022 (26 wk) and 2024 (17 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2020 and 2025.

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

24th most drought-prone of 75 AR counties; the AR middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Grant County (3.5 in 10) and Clark County (3.5 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 (43% of weeks), then Nov (34%) and Sep (28%). Least in May (8%). May to September averages 20%.

18 Jan
19 Feb
18 Mar
11 Apr
8 May
11 Jun
26 Jul
26 Aug
28 Sep
43 Oct
34 Nov
24 Dec

The worst year: 2011

2011: 42 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 22.2% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 10.9% at D2, 3.6% at D3, 4 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 44 weeks, Jul 20, 2010 to May 17, 2011.

Lately

Last drought year: 2024, 17 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 4.4 in 10 for 2000-2015, wetter lately. So far in 2026: 38 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.