Rain has been hard to come by across parts of Arkansas over the last few months. This has caused drought conditions to quickly form over a large part of the state.

Central and eastern Arkansas have been impacted most by the recent dry spell.

During August and September, Little Rock has only recorded 2.27″ inches of rainfall. This is almost 4″ below normal! So far in September, we have only gotten 0.46″, and with no rain in the forecast, we will end as the 9th driest September on record!

That lack of rain has increased our drought level in central Arkansas from moderate to severe.

Locations in northern and southern Arkansas saw beneficial rain recently, and that has actually reduced the drought there.

Is there any rain in the forecast?

No…

Over the next 7 days, there is absolutely no rain expected over all of Arkansas. This is going to make for even worse drought conditions when the next drought monitor comes out on October 5th.

Looking at the extended forecast there are signs of rainfall. Forecast models show a low-pressure system in Arkansas on Thursday, October 5th.

That one rain system probably won’t put a dent in the drought, but October and November are months when we typically see more rain, so we should see improvements.