Drought in Cleveland, Arkansas

Cleveland County entered D2 drought designation on November 14th.

Dry conditions have persisted over much of Arkansas during the last three months (September, October, November). Much of the state was running less than 50 percent of normal rainfall for the month, and for the fall season (September 1 - November 30). November 2017, and the fall of 2017 are the driest on record in several localities across the state. This dry period has resulted in the development of severe to extreme drought conditions across the state.

As of November 30th, there was a high wildfire danger across all of Arkansas due to dry vegetation and soil moisture conditions across the state. Streamflow along area tributaries was below normal at most sites, but was especially low in the southern and western portions of the state. The impacts of drought on agriculture are difficult to measure at this time of year when the vegetation is normally dormant anyways. If drought conditions persist into the spring and growing season, economic impacts will likely be steep.

November 2017 was the driest November on record at the following stations: North Little Rock, Little Rock Air Force Base, and Monticello.

Fall of 2017 was the driest on record for the following locations: Pine Bluff, North Little Rock, Russellville, Little Rock Air Force Base, Calico Rock 2 WSW, Mount Ida, and Monticello.