Potentially dangerous drought conditions in Arkansas possible as heat continues into September

Hot and dry weather will persist across Arkansas through September as drought conditions reach potentially dangerous levels, officials said. Independence County Judge Kevin Jeffery declared the county a disaster area in a social media post on Saturday. The declaration is due to "extreme hot and dry conditions that threaten life, property and county agricultural operations," the post said. The county is under severe to extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The entire state is under at least moderate drought conditions, with severe to extreme conditions in portions of Northwest, Central, northern and southeast Arkansas, the drought monitor said. All 75 counties in Arkansas are at high risk of wildfire danger, according to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. As of Tuesday, every county in the state was under a burn ban except Faulkner and Lonoke counties. Portions of northern and Central Arkansas might see "marginal" rainfall Thursday through Sunday, but much more rain is needed to improve drought conditions, Alex Young, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock said Tuesday. "When we are at a deficit of 10 to 15 inches or more in some areas, it's one of those things where until we catch up by getting a lot of rain, drought conditions will continue to persist," Young said. Temperatures will range in the upper 90s to low 100s across the state on Tuesday and Wednesday. The high temperature for Little Rock on Tuesday is 101 degrees, and Hot Springs, Searcy, Brinkley, Russellville, De Queen and Fort Smith will see highs between 102 and 104 degrees, according to the weather service website. The heat conditions are unusual for the month of September, the forecaster said. "We are in the range of 10 to 15 degrees above normal for this time of year," Young said. "That's very abnormal, but still below record levels." A heat advisory was in place Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. across Northwest, Central and southern Arkansas, the weather service said. Temperatures will decrease over the weekend, but Arkansas can likely expect temperatures in the 90s through the end of the month, Young said. "Hot and dry is going to be the theme for the next couple weeks," he said. [More tips on navigating heat in Arkansas safely can be found online here. ] jsellars@adgnewsroom.com Jacie Sellars is the morning breaking news reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She joined the newspaper in May 2026 after graduating from Ouachita Baptist University with degrees in multimedia journalism and Spanish.