Drought in Louisiana, January 29 to 31, 2026

Despite a brief respite from the more significant drought conditions that developed during the second week of January from widespread 1.5-2.0 inch rains that fell on January 9th, severe (D2) drought redeveloped over Caldwell Parish by the final few days of January even in wake of the winter storm that affected all of the region January 24th-25th. The redevelopment of drought was also a culmination of an extended period of below normal rainfall and much above normal temperatures observed from September 2025 through the first couple weeks of January 2026. Considerable hardships continued from area agricultural producers, and pastures had become dormant early, forcing farmers to provide hay and other supplemental feed much earlier than normal, as well as water as multiple ponds had dried up. Streamflow from area creeks and bayous were also below normal despite the precipitation that had melted from the recent winter storm.