Drought in Little River, Arkansas

An extended period of below normal rainfall coupled with much above normal temperatures from Fall 2025 into Winter 2026 led to the continuation of severe (D2) and development of extreme (D3) drought conditions from the U.S. Drought Monitor across portions of Southwest Arkansas through the month of February. Rainfall amounts during February only tallied to 0.50-2.00+ inches, which was less than half of the normal amount of rainfall for the month. Coupled with the consistently below normal rain observed since Fall 2025, considerable hardships from area agricultural producers continued, as pastures had become dormant early, forcing farmers to provide hay and other supplemental feed much earlier than normal, as well as water as multiple ponds had dried up. An increase in wildfires also persisted, with the above normal temperatures continuing the drying of fuels. Streamflow from area creeks and bayous also fell below to much below normal as well. As a result, extreme (D3) drought developed across Northern Howard County Arkansas by the second week of the month.