Weather news
Record 84.6% of Arkansas in extreme drought or worse, half in the worst level
By Ryan Hall, Y'all Weather Desk · Published · Updated
Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data.
What's new: New lead map for the site, text unchanged
Key points
- Where: Exceptional drought covers Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, Fort Smith, Texarkana, El Dorado, Jonesboro and Bentonville. Fayetteville, Springdale and Russellville are in extreme drought.
- When: The map is valid Tuesday, Nov. 10. Exceptional drought grew from 39.72% of the state a week earlier.
- What: 49.53% of Arkansas is in exceptional drought, the third-highest week on record for the state. Extreme drought or worse is at 84.60%, an all-time high.
- What it means: Rain is not forecast to help this week. Little Rock had 22% of its normal rain from Sept. 1 through Nov. 11.
Half of Arkansas, 49.5 percent, is now in exceptional drought, the worst category the U.S. Drought Monitor has, on the map valid Tuesday, Nov. 10 and released Thursday morning. A record 84.6 percent of the state is in extreme drought or worse, the most in the Monitor's history, which goes back to the first map on Jan. 4, 2000. Little Rock and Jonesboro are forecast to get under 0.01 inch of rain over the next seven days, so nothing is coming to ease it this week.
What the map shows
Drought is rated in five steps. The worst, D4, is called exceptional. Nearly half the state is in that category, and the whole state is at least abnormally dry. Here is how the rest stacks up:
- 84.60% in extreme drought or worse
- 90.09% in severe drought or worse
- 96.53% in moderate drought or worse
- 100% at least abnormally dry
The worst of it runs through the middle of the state, with Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs and Pine Bluff all in exceptional drought. The same level reaches west to Fort Smith, south to El Dorado and Texarkana, and northeast to Jonesboro. Bentonville, up in the northwest corner, is also in the worst category. Fayetteville, Springdale and Russellville sit one step down, in extreme drought.
How fast it got here
This is a fast slide. On Sept. 8, only 1.97% of Arkansas was in exceptional drought. A week ago it was 39.72%. This week it is 49.53%.
Extreme drought or worse tells the same story. It stood at 22.43% on Sept. 8, then reached 82.10% last week, which was already a record. This week's 84.60% beats it. The old high before 2026 was 80.98% on Aug. 7, 2012.
Exceptional drought alone is not a record. The third-highest week for Arkansas is this one. Two weeks in August 2012 were higher, at 53.60% on Aug. 14 and 53.26% on Aug. 7.
The rain just hasn't come
Little Rock has picked up 2.04 inches of rain from Sept. 1 through Nov. 11. Normal for that stretch is 9.15 inches, so the city is sitting at 22% of normal.
The seven-day rain forecast offers no help. Little Rock and Jonesboro are forecast to get under 0.01 inch. Texarkana is forecast to get about 0.1 inch. That is not enough to dent a drought this deep.
What to do
- Outdoor burning: Check with your county or local fire department before you burn anything.
- Water use: If your utility asks customers to cut back, take it seriously.
- Stay in the loop: Sign up for free Y'all Alerts and check live warnings when the weather pattern changes.
Bottom line
Half of Arkansas is in the worst category of drought, and a record share of the state is in extreme drought or worse. No meaningful rain is in the forecast this week, so conditions are not expected to improve this week.
More on Weather records, November 2026
Places in this story: Little Rock, AR; Jonesboro, AR; Fort Smith, AR; Texarkana, AR
Sources
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station records, NOAA Regional Climate Centers (ACIS)