Reeling from Record Rains, Arkansas Faces a Changing Climate

The Fall months of September through November are getting wetter in Arkansas; and heavy downpours are becoming more frequent and intense.  The potential consequences of such trends are vividly illustrated this Fall, with crop losses in Arkansas from recent rains estimated at more than $650 million, and with deer hunting season closed in many parts of the state because of flooding.

[See also our posting,U.S. Sees Wettest October on Record; Arkansas Records are Washed Away (posted 9 November 2009).]

Climate change is affecting Arkansas today.

• The Southeast as a whole, including Arkansas, saw a 20% increase in very heavy precipitation events between1958 and 2007.
• Fall (Sep-Nov) precipitation in Arkansas has increased more than a third since 1895 (see figure below)
• This September was the second wettest on record and October was the wettest on record in Little Rock and other parts of Arkansas.  In fact, for Little Rock, it was the wettest on record among all months (i.e. since 1895). 
• Governor Beebe has declared 23 counties disaster areas because of severe storms and flooding. See Governor Beebe Adds Three Counties To List Of Disaster Declarations, press release (29 October 2009) from governor of Arkansas.
• According to the Arkansas Farm Bureau, yield and quality losses for Arkansas’ major row crops due to drenching rains could exceed $650 million. See Arkansas Crops take $600 million hit, press release (29 October 2009) from Arkansas Farm Bureau. [Note: The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture estimated in a report released on 6 November that the losses in gross receipts for Arkansas crops by 1 Nov were about $225 million]
•  The Arkansas Fish and Game Commission has closed the deer-hunting season in many parts of Arkansas because of flood conditions. See High water continues to close deer-hunting areas in Arkansas, press release (3 November 2009) from the Arkansas Fish and Game Commission.
• A recent scientific report, Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, projects more frequent and intense heavy downpours during this century and says these are likely to reduce crop yields.  See the report's findings on the Southeast.
•  According to a new Oxfam report, Exposed: Social Vulnerability and Climate Change in the US Southeast   See Oxfam's  [PDF], the U.S. southeast is one of the most vulnerable regions in America to climate change.  “Nearly 22% of the state lies within a 100-year flood zone, a significant fact given that 100-year floods are likely to become more frequent due to global warming,” the report says. Arkansas Fact Sheet [PDF].

Click here to learn more about how climate change is affecting the Southeast and Arkansas.