Drought in Richland, Louisiana

Drought conditions in Richland Parish mitigated from D3 (Extreme Drought) to D2 (Severe Drought) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The combined effects of persistent above normal temperatures and minimal precipitation continuing from late April 2026 resulted in mounting drought impacts across portions of northeast LA. Through the month of May, D2 (Severe Drought) and D3 (Extreme Drought) conditions expanded to affect all of our northeast LA parishes as depicted on the U.S Drought Monitor. Average temperatures for the month ranged from 2 to 4 degrees F above normal. Observed precipitation values ranged from 50 percent of normal to lower than 25 percent of normal. Soil moisture values continued to worsen through the month, with subsoil moisture values between 10 to 30 percent below normal for much of the affected area. This placed a severe stress on pastures for livestock and began to reduce expected yield from row crops. Streamflows on creeks and rivers were reduced.