Arkansas, 2012

Drought in Arkansas, August 1 to 31, 2012

August 1 to 31, 2012 · NWS LZK · 45 events in 45 counties and zones

At the beginning of August, most of Arkansas was under extreme or exceptional drought. After a brief heat wave at the beginning of the month, the weather returned closer to a normal weather pattern, with weather systems bringing at least scattered showers and thunderstorms from time to time.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 34 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
45

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 LZK wrote it up.

At the beginning of August, most of Arkansas was under extreme or exceptional drought. After a brief heat wave at the beginning of the month, the weather returned closer to a normal weather pattern, with weather systems bringing at least scattered showers and thunderstorms from time to time. By the end of the month, there had been slight improvement in the drought in parts of western and central Arkansas. During the month, the Arkansas Forestry Commission fought 425 fires, which burned 7721 acres. There were hundreds of additional, smaller fires fought by city fire departments and rural volunteer departments. The passage of Tropical Depression Isaac at the end of the month brought more substantial rainfall and consequent improvement in the drought. The drought improvement was reflected in the first Drought Monitor issued in September and will thus appear in September's Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 11:45 PM CST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 11:45 PM CST, 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE FOR AVIATION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1245 AM CDT WED AUG 1 2012

.AVIATION...
AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT...INITIALLY OVER NORTHERN AR AND
WENT WITH VCTS AT KHRO AND KPBF. CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY
WEAKEN AS IT MOVES SE. MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS WITH PATCHY CEILINGS
WITH CONVECTION. ISOLATED CONVECTION ON WEDNESDAY MAINLY NORTH TO
EAST CENTRAL AR AND DUE TO UNCERTAINTY ONLY USED VCTS OR VCSH AT
THIS TIME. WINDS MAINLY SE TO SW AROUND 5 KNOTS OR LESS OVERNIGHT
THEN 5 TO 12 KNOTS ON WEDNESDAY. (59)

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 813 PM CDT TUE JUL 31 2012/

.UPDATE...

THE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE THAT HAS BEEN SO DOMINANT OVER THE
REGION HAS BEGUN TO SHIFT WEST OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS. THIS TREND IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE IN THE COMING DAYS. AS THE HIGH SHIFTS
TOWARDS THE WEST...CLOUD COVER AND RAIN CHANCES WILL BEGIN TO
INCREASE OVER EASTERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS.

AN UPDATE WAS NEEDED TO ACCOUNT FOR CURRENT TRENDS OVER THE
AREA...AS WELL AS FOR FORECASTED TEMPERATURES AND DEWPOINTS
TOMORROW AFTERNOON. EASTERN ARKANSAS REMAINED CLOUD COVERED
THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON WHICH LED TO COOLER TEMPERATURES THAN FOR
THE REST OF THE STATE. THIS TREND IS EXPECTED AGAIN TOMORROW BUT
IS ALSO EXPECTED TO EFFECT FURTHER WEST...INCLUDING THE CITY OF
LITTLE ROCK. BECAUSE OF THIS...DECIDED TO LOWER HIGH TEMPERATURES
ACROSS THE STATE SEVERAL DEGREES.

OTHERWISE...CURRENT FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK. THE AREA OF HIGH
PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH TOWARDS THE WEST...WHICH WILL CAUSE
HIGH TEMPERATURES TO BE SLIGHTLY COOLER...WITH READINGS IN THE
100-105 DEGREE RANGE VS. THE 105-110 DEGREE RANGE SEEN OVER THE
PAST SEVERAL DAYS. WHEN UPPER LEVEL NORTHWEST FLOW RETURNS...SO
WILL THE RAIN CHANCES. A FEW MODELS SUGGEST A FEW WEAK UPPER LEVEL
IMPULSES MAY BE ABLE TO SQUEEZE DOWN AND CREATE SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS WEEK.

&&

PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 316 PM CDT TUE JUL 31 2012/

SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT

AREA OF SHOWERS AND CLOUD COVER CONTINUED ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS...WITH MUCH COOLER
TEMPERATURES. HOWEVER...THE MOISTURE KEPT HEAT INDEX VALUES NEAR 105
DEGREES. HEAT HEADLINES WILL BE THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN FOR THE
NEXT FEW DAYS...FOLLOWED BY RAIN CHANCES.

HIGH PRESSURE TO THE WEST OF THE AREA IS ALLOWING WEAK SYSTEMS TO
MOVE INTO THE STATE IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW. ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE
THROUGH FRIDAY...AND WITH CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO TODAY...TEMPERATURES
AND HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL BE A CONCERN. HAVE OPTED TO DROP THE
EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH...AS READINGS WILL BE BELOW 115
DEGREES...ALTHOUGH SOME LOCATIONS MAY HIT FOR AN HOUR OR TWO.
HOWEVER...HEAT ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY.

THERE IS A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO RAIN CHANCES IN THE NEXT
FEW DAYS...AS WEAK DISTURBANCES MOVE THROUGH THE FLOW. HAVE MUCH OF
THE RAINFALL CONCENTRATED OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE STATE. THESE
RAIN CHANCES AND ASSOCIATED CLOUD COVER WILL PRECLUDE EXPANDING THE
HEAT ADVISORY IN TIME...AS GUIDANCE NOT CONSISTENT IN RAIN CHANCES.

LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

MODELS RMN IN DECENT AGREEMENT THRU THE FCST PD. A BROAD UPR LVL RDG
WL BE SITUATED FM THE SRN ROCKIES TO THE SERN STATES. A POTENT UPR
LVL TROF WL BE WORKING EWD ACRS THE NRN PLAINS ON SAT...EVENTUALLY
MOVG THRU THE GREAT LAKES REGION LATE IN THE WEEKEND. THIS WL FORCE
THE UPR RDG WWD INTO THE ROCKIES AND ALLOW A FNTL BNDRY TO APCH NRN
AR. STAYED ON THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE REGARDING THE SWD PROGRESS OF
THE FNT AS THE UPR RDG HAS CONTD TO WIN OUT THIS SUMMER OVR MOST SWD
ADVANCING BNDRYS. THE UPR HIGH IS FCST TO REGAIN CONTROL ACRS THE
MID SOUTH HEADING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. CONTD TO MENTION SLGT CHC
POPS MOST DAYS...MAINLY DIURNALLY DRIVEN. TEMPS WL CONT TO CLIMB TO
ABV NORMAL LVLS THRU THE PD.

FIRE WEATHER...

DANGEROUS WILDFIRE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
DAYS AS VERY HOT CONDITIONS AND DRY WEATHER PERSIST. THE VERY DRY
VEGETATION THAT IS IN PLACE AS A RESULT OF THE ONGOING SEVERE TO
EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT WILL ONLY ADD TO THE WILDFIRE THREAT.

THE WILDFIRE THREAT RANGES FROM HIGH TO EXTREME ACROSS ALL OF THE
STATE. EXPECT WINDS OF 8 TO 14 MPH COMMON...WITH HIGHER GUSTS IN
SOME AREAS. AFTERNOON RH VALUES WILL FALL BACK INTO THE 25 TO 35
PERCENT RANGE. MOST COUNTIES IN AR REMAIN UNDER BURN BANS...AND ANY
FIRE WILL QUICKLY SPREAD OUT OF CONTROL.

&&

.LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THURSDAY FOR ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-
BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-
DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-
JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE-MARION-MONROE-
MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-PRAIRIE-PULASKI-
SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE-WOODRUFF-YELL.

&&

227
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 31, 11:50 PM CST, 10 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1250 AM CDT WED AUG 1 2012

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-011030-
ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-
CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-
INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE-
MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-
PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE-
WOODRUFF-YELL-
1250 AM CDT WED AUG 1 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

ISOLATED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN
ARKANSAS OVERNIGHT AND MAY REACH PARTS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN AREAS.
AN ISOLATED STRONG STORM MAY BE SEEN...BUT THE OVERALL SEVERE STORM
THREAT WILL BE VERY LOW.

MOST OF THE STATE REMAINS IN EXTREME WILDFIRE DANGER DUE TO THE
ONGOING DROUGHT CONDITIONS AND BONE DRY VEGETATION. MOST COUNTIES
HAVE BURN BANS IN PLACE. OUTDOOR BURNING OF ANY KIND IS STRONGLY
DISCOURAGED AS FIRES COULD QUICKLY SPREAD OUT OF CONTROL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS FOR BOTH
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY DUE TO THE CONTINUED HOT TEMPERATURES AND
ELEVATED HUMIDITY. AFTERNOON HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL RANGE FROM 105
TO NEAR 110 DEGREES.

ISOLATED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES
DUE TO SOME UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEMS THAT MOVE ACROSS ARKANSAS.
OVERALL RAIN AMOUNTS AND RAIN COVERAGE WILL REMAIN LOW. ALSO THE
THREAT OF ANY STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL REMAIN ISOLATED AND BE
VERY LOW.

THE WILDFIRE DANGER IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN HIGH TO EXTREME FOR THE
NEXT SEVERAL DAYS DUE TO THE ONGOING DROUGHT AND CONTINUED HOT
TEMPERATURES. ONLY ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...WITH NO WIDESPREAD RAINFALL EXPECTED IN
THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE TO BRING MUCH RELIEF.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

&&

VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND
CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS.

59

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

45 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Boone

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Boone forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Exceptional drought covered Boone County throughout the month.

Drought, Marion

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Marion forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
36.268, -92.684 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Marion County throughout the month.

Drought, Baxter

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Baxter forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
36.287, -92.337 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Baxter County throughout the month.

Drought, Fulton

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Fulton forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
36.382, -91.818 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Fulton County throughout the month.

Drought, Sharp

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Sharp forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
36.161, -91.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Sharp County throughout the month.

Drought, Izard

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Izard forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
36.095, -91.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Izard County throughout the month.

Drought, Stone

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Stone forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
35.860, -92.157 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Stone County throughout the month.

Drought, Searcy

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Searcy forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Exceptional drought covered Searcy County throughout the month.

Drought, Newton

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Newton forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Exceptional drought covered Newton County throughout the month.

Drought, Johnson

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Johnson forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Exceptional drought covered Johnson County throughout the month.

Drought, Pope

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Pope forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Exceptional drought covered Pope County throughout the month.

Drought, Van Buren

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Van Buren forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Exceptional drought covered Van Buren County throughout the month.

Drought, Cleburne

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Cleburne forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
35.538, -92.027 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Cleburne County throughout the month.

Drought, Independence

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Independence forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
35.742, -91.570 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Independence County throughout the month.

Drought, Jackson

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
35.599, -91.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Jackson County throughout the month.

Drought, Conway

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Conway forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
35.262, -92.701 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Conway County throughout the month.

Drought, Faulkner

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Faulkner forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
35.147, -92.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered Faulkner County throughout the month.

Drought, White

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
White forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
35.256, -91.745 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Exceptional drought covered White County throughout the month.

Drought, Logan

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Logan forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Throughout the month, extreme drought covered western Logan County while exceptional drought occurred in the eastern part of the county.

Drought, Yell

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Yell forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

At the beginning of the month, exceptional drought covered all of Yell County. By the end of the month there had been no change, except for the extreme southwest corner of the county, where extreme drought occurred.

Drought, Scott

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Scott forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

At the beginning of the month, extreme drought covered most of Scott County, except for exceptional drought in the extreme eastern part of the county. Little change occurred during the month.

Drought, Polk

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Polk forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

At the beginning of the month, extreme drought covered most of Polk County, except for exceptional drought in the southeastern part of the county. By the end of the month, conditions had improved slightly -- extreme drought covered most of the county, except for severe drought in the southwest corner.

Drought, Montgomery

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

At the beginning of the month, exceptional drought covered most of Montgomery County, except the northwest where extreme drought existed. By the end of the month, conditions had improved somewhat with extreme drought over most of the county and exceptional drought over the northeast corner.

Drought, Perry

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Perry forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.947, -92.931 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout the month, exceptional drought covered Perry County.

Drought, Garland

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Garland forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.577, -93.150 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, exceptional drought covered all of Garland County. By the end of the month, conditions had improved slightly with extreme drought over the southern part of the county and exceptional drought over the north.

Drought, Saline

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Saline forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.647, -92.677 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, exceptional drought covered all of Saline County. By the end of the month, conditions had improved slightly in the southern part of the county, where extreme drought existed; other parts of the county were still in exceptional drought.

Drought, Pulaski

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.770, -92.312 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, exceptional drought covered all of Pulaski County, except for the southeastern corner where extreme drought existed. By the end of the month, there had been little change, except that extreme drought covered the extreme southern part of the county.

Drought, Lonoke

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lonoke forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.754, -91.889 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout the month, exceptional drought covered northern and central parts of Lonoke County with extreme drought in the southern part of the county.

Drought, Prairie

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Prairie forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.830, -91.553 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout the month, exceptional drought covered the northwestern half of Prairie County and extreme drought covered the southeastern half.

Drought, Woodruff

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Woodruff forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
35.186, -91.243 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout the month, exceptional drought covered most of Woodruff County, except for the southeast where extreme drought existed.

Drought, Monroe

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.678, -91.204 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout the month, extreme drought covered Monroe County, except for the southern tip where severe drought existed.

Drought, Hot Spring

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Hot Spring forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.318, -92.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, exceptional drought covered Hot Spring County, except for the southern part of the county where extreme drought existed. By the end of the month, conditions have improved slightly with extreme drought covering the county.

Drought, Grant

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.290, -92.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, exceptional drought was occurring across the northern edge of Grant County with extreme drought elsewhere. By the end of the month, conditions had improved somewhat with extreme drought over the northern and central parts of the county, and severe drought over the south.

Drought, Jefferson

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.269, -91.931 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, extreme drought covered all of Jefferson County, except for the southeastern tip where severe drought existed. By the end of the month, conditions had improved somewhat with extreme drought over the northern part of the county and severe drought elsewhere.

Drought, Arkansas

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Arkansas forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.291, -91.375 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, extreme drought covered northern and western sections of Arkansas County with severe drought elsewhere. By the end of the month, conditions had improved slightly, with extreme drought in the northern part of the county and severe drought elsewhere.

Drought, Pike

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Pike forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.164, -93.656 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, exceptional drought covered most of Pike County, except for the southeast where extreme drought existed. By the end of the month, conditions had improved somewhat, with extreme drought over all but the southeastern tip of the county, where severe drought existed.

Drought, Clark

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Clark forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
34.051, -93.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, exceptional drought was occurring in northern Clark County, with extreme drought elsewhere. By the end of the month, conditions had improved somewhat with extreme drought over the northern half of the county and severe drought over the southern half.

Drought, Dallas

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Dallas forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
33.970, -92.654 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, extreme drought covered all of Dallas County, except for the southeastern part of the county where severe drought existed. By the end of the month, conditions had improved somewhat with severe drought over all but the northwestern tip of the county, where extreme drought existed.

Drought, Cleveland

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Cleveland forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
33.898, -92.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, extreme drought covered the northern part of Cleveland County with severe drought elsewhere. By the end of the month, conditions had improved somewhat with severe drought covering the entire county.

Drought, Lincoln

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
33.958, -91.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, extreme drought covered the northern part of Lincoln County with severe drought elsewhere. By the end of the month, severe drought existed over the entire county.

Drought, Ouachita

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Ouachita forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
33.593, -92.882 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the beginning of the month, extreme drought extended across a small part of northwestern Ouachita County as well as the southeastern corner of the county. Elsewhere, severe drought existed, except for the southwestern corner, where the drought was only moderate. By the end of the month, severe drought existed over most of the county, except for the southeastern part of the county where extreme drought existed and the southwestern corner of the county, where the drought was only moderate.

Drought, Calhoun

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Calhoun forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
33.558, -92.503 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout the month, severe drought covered the northern half of Calhoun County and extreme drought occurred in the southern half.

Drought, Bradley

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Bradley forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
33.466, -92.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout the month, parts of western Bradley County were in extreme drought, with severe drought elsewhere.

Drought, Drew

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Drew forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
33.589, -91.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout the month, severe drought covered all of Drew County.

Drought, Desha

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Desha forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
33.833, -91.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout the month, severe drought covered the western half of Desha County.

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

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, August 2012

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: 399243, 399244, 399245, 399246, 399247, 399248, 399249, 399250, 399252, 399253, 399254, 399255, 399256, 399257, 399258, 399260, 399261, 399262, 399265, 399266, 399268, 399270, 399273, 399275, 399276, 399281, 399285, 399290, 399296, 399298, 399301, 399305, 399310, 399317, 399320, 399321, 399323, 399326, 399327, 399328, and more.