Drought, Sevier
- When
- May 14, 8:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Sevier forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 33.997, -94.241 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought in Arkansas, May 14 to 31, 1996
May was one of the driest and hottest on record across portions of southwest Arkansas. Near record low water levels were recorded in lakes and ponds throughout the southwest portion of the state.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS SHV wrote it up.
May was one of the driest and hottest on record across portions of southwest Arkansas. Near record low water levels were recorded in lakes and ponds throughout the southwest portion of the state. The combination of heat and lack of rain resulted in significant crop damage and loses across the corn, cotton, milo and soybean industries.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought, Howard
- When
- May 14, 8:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Howard forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 34.089, -93.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Little River
- When
- May 14, 8:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Little River forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 33.701, -94.234 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Hempstead
- When
- May 14, 8:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Hempstead forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 33.735, -93.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Miller
- When
- May 14, 8:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Miller forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 33.312, -93.892 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Lafayette
- When
- May 14, 8:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Lafayette forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 33.241, -93.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Drought
- A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Nebraska, May 14, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, May 14, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, May 14, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Idaho, May 14, 1996
- Flooding in Kentucky, May 14 to 20, 1996
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Montana, May 14, 1996
- Heat in Alaska, May 14, 1996
- Heat in Alaska, May 14, 1996
- Flood in Missouri, May 14 to 15, 1996
- Hail in Oklahoma, May 14, 1996
- Hail in Oklahoma, May 14, 1996
- Hail in Oklahoma, May 14, 1996
More
Every storm in Arkansas in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, May 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5545752, 5545753, 5545754, 5545755, 5545756, 5545757.