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

2.7 years in 10

Perry 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 (26 wk), 2006 (28 wk), 2011 (33 wk), 2012 (31 wk), 2022 (22 wk), 2023 (14 wk) and 2024 (21 wk). Not a single drought week in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2019.

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

59th most drought-prone of 75 AR counties; the AR middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Pike County (2.7 in 10) and Hot Spring 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 Nov (37% of weeks), then Dec (34%) and Oct (33%). Least in May (7%). May to September averages 20%.

21 Jan
14 Feb
12 Mar
10 Apr
7 May
11 Jun
20 Jul
33 Aug
27 Sep
33 Oct
37 Nov
34 Dec

The worst year: 2011

2011: 33 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 21.4% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 11.5% at D2, 3.9% at D3, 16 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 47 weeks, Dec 16, 2025 to Nov 3, 2026.

Lately

Last drought year: 2024, 21 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 2.5 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 44 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.