Drought in Van Buren County, AR: 2.7 years in 10 since 2000

2.7 years in 10

Van Buren 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 (25 wk), 2006 (27 wk), 2011 (32 wk), 2012 (31 wk), 2017 (23 wk) and 2022 (23 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023.

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

Against the rest of AR

70th most drought-prone of 75 AR counties; the AR middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Crawford County (2.7 in 10) and Mississippi 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 Aug (27% of weeks), then Jan (23%) and Nov (23%). Least in May (10%). May to September averages 17%.

23 Jan
17 Feb
13 Mar
13 Apr
10 May
11 Jun
19 Jul
27 Aug
19 Sep
23 Oct
23 Nov
17 Dec

The worst year: 2011

2011: 32 weeks in drought, peaking at D2 severe. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 18.1% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 8.4% at D2, 3.7% at D3, 25 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 36 weeks, May 29, 2012 to Jan 29, 2013.

Lately

Last drought year: 2022, 23 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 28 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.