Drought Information Statement for Arkansas
Valid Aug 7th, 2026
Issued By: National Weather Service-WFO Little Rock, AR
Contact Information: nws.littlerock@noaa.gov
This product will be updated Sept 7th, 2026 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly.  
Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements.
Please visit https://www.weather.gov/LZK/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates.
Over 55% of Arkansas continues to experience drought conditions.
Nearly 14% of the state is in severe drought or greater (D2 or greater).

U.S. Drought Monitor
Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for Arkansas
Drought intensity and extent:

D4 (Exceptional Drought): Portions of southeast Arkansas. 

D3 (Extreme Drought): Portions of northeast, central, and southeast Arkansas.

D2 (Severe Drought): Portions of northeast, central, and southeast Arkansas.

D1 (Moderate Drought): Mainly across the southeast two thirds of the state. 

D0: (Abnormally Dry): Most of the state not in a drought category (D1 or greater).

Recent Change in Drought Intensity
Link to the latest 4-week change map for Arkansas
One Week Drought Monitor Class Change.

Drier than normal conditions were experienced across extreme northwest and west central Arkansas.

Precipitation
Most areas of the state were below normal with precipitation during the past 30 days. 


Temperature
Most areas of the state had above normal temperatures during the past 7 days. 

Seven Day Precipitation Forecast
The 7 day precipitation forecast calls for 1-4” across the northern third of the state.  Up to one inch of rainfall is forecast for the rest of the state. 

Long-Range Outlooks
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Above normal temperatures, and below normal precipitation is forecast for state during the month of August. 

Drought Outlook
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Through the late October, most areas of the state are expected to experience drought conditions. 
Links to the latest:
Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook 
Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook