Drought conditions have tightened their grip on south Arkansas, with Warren now sitting in an area of extreme drought and much of the surrounding region experiencing severe drought conditions.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday, Sept. 3, and based on conditions through Sept. 1, shows drought covering 88.2 percent of Arkansas. Every portion of the state is now classified as at least abnormally dry.
Bradley County sits along the boundary between two of the more serious drought classifications. Warren is in D3, or Extreme Drought, while Hermitage is in D2, or Severe Drought. The D3 area extends east of Warren toward Drew County, with nearby Wilmar also classified in extreme drought.
Severe drought is widespread throughout the surrounding area. New Edinburg, Monticello, Hamburg, Crossett, Hampton and Fordyce are all currently in the D2 category. Conditions become even more serious farther east in portions of southeast Arkansas, including Dermott, which is within the state’s relatively small area of D4, or Exceptional Drought.
Statewide, 36.2 percent of Arkansas is in severe drought, 17 percent is in extreme drought and 1 percent is in exceptional drought. Another 34.1 percent is experiencing moderate drought, while the remaining 11.8 percent is classified as abnormally dry.
The U.S. Drought Monitor described what is occurring across Arkansas and neighboring states as part of a developing flash drought, a period in which drought conditions develop or intensify rapidly. Continued warmer and drier-than-normal weather across the region has resulted in worsening drought conditions, with agricultural impacts and fire danger increasing in portions of Arkansas.
For Bradley County, the difference between severe and extreme drought can be important for agriculture and outdoor conditions. Prolonged dryness can stress pastures and vegetation, reduce soil moisture and water available in ponds and streams, and increase the potential for grass and woodland fires.
The drought is not a new concern for the region. Bradley County, along with neighboring Ashley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Drew and Union counties, was included earlier this year among Arkansas counties designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as natural disaster areas because of drought conditions.
The latest map shows southeast Arkansas among the harder-hit portions of the state, with the severe-to-extreme drought zone stretching from the Bradley County area eastward toward the Mississippi River.
The U.S. Drought Monitor is produced jointly by the National Drought Mitigation Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. A new map is released each Thursday.
The next update is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10, and will reflect conditions through Tuesday, Sept. 8.
