Report lists less of state parched

17% in moderate drought for week

Friday, October 25, 2013

Though dry conditions continue in portions of Arkansas, 17.34 percent of the state was in moderate drought Tuesday, a drop from 22.63 percent a week ago, according to a weekly report released Thursday by the Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In the same report, 0.66 percent of the state - in Union County - remained in severe drought, the same as last week, and 48.72 percent of the state was classified as abnormally dry, down from 50.16 percent a week ago.

The center considers areas to be in severe drought if they have a deficiency of 2-4 inches of rain over a 30-day period and in moderate drought if they were deficient by 1-2 inches of rain in the same time span.

The weekly report, which showed rapid improvement over the same time period a year ago, was released on the same day a national environmental advocacy group warned of the health dangers of smoke from wildfires, which are more easily sparked in dry environments.

An analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council - which used satellite images of large smoke plumes from 2011 - listed Arkansas among the onethird of U.S. states with populous regions affected by medium-to-high-density smoke conditions for a week or longer.

Even wildfire smoke that travels hundreds of miles can carry tiny particulates that pose a health risk if inhaled, Kim Knowlton, a senior scientist with the organization’s health and environment program, said in a conference call with reporters.

“Even if you don’t live near wildfires, your health may be threatened by smoke,” she said.

And wildfires are more easily sparked and last longer in drought conditions, scientists said in that conference call.

The Arkansas Forestry Commission rated all counties in the state in “low” danger of wildfires Thursday, and no burn bans were issued.

While some dryness remained in Arkansas this week, conditions were improved over a year ago, when nearly 36 percent of the state was classified in extreme drought. None of the state received that classification in this week’s report.

Next week’s drought report will likely show very little change because rain is not in the immediate forecast, said John Robinson, warning coordinator at the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.

Substantial rains are possible around the middle of next week, which could lead to a continued improvement that would be reflected in future reports, Robinson said.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 10/25/2013