Livestock farmers leery as abnormally dry conditions persist in much of the state
by June 6, 2023 9:11 am 830 views
Nearly half of Arkansas is listed as abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and concern is growing in the agriculture community. About 42% of the state falls into the abnormally dry category including nearly every county in Northeast Arkansas and in the Ozarks region.
The weather comes after one of the worst droughts on record in the state in 2022.
Justin Condry, meteorologist for the National Weather Service at Little Rock, said Monday (June 5) that an emerging El Niño will mean the return of a more typical summer weather pattern for Arkansas.
“We’re going to see a lot of pop-up showers in the afternoon,” he said. “It’s that kind of thing where your neighbor down the road could pick something that you may not.”
During the next seven days, the NWS predicts the dry weather will continue with chances for rain possibly this weekend.
The dry, warm weather has ranchers concerned about their hay meadows and pastures.
Condry said the summer outlook from the Climate Prediction Center covering June, July and August projects “slightly above-average temperatures and slightly above-average rainfall.”
Condry cautioned that the three-month outlook is generalized and that not everyone will see above-average rainfall through the summer.