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

2.7 years in 10

White 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 (22 wk), 2005 (26 wk), 2006 (26 wk), 2011 (28 wk), 2012 (28 wk), 2022 (20 wk) and 2025 (19 wk). Not a single drought week in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

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

61st most drought-prone of 75 AR counties; the AR middle is 3.1 in 10. Closest on the list: Hot Spring County (2.7 in 10) and Faulkner 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 (34% of weeks), then Aug (30%) and Sep (30%). Least in May (11%). May to September averages 21%.

17 Jan
16 Feb
13 Mar
12 Apr
11 May
11 Jun
20 Jul
30 Aug
30 Sep
28 Oct
34 Nov
29 Dec

The worst year: 2012

2012: 28 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 20.8% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 8.9% at D2, 3.4% at D3, 24 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 63 weeks, Aug 26, 2025 to Nov 3, 2026.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 19 weeks. 2016-2025: 2 in 10, against 3.1 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 44 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.