Op-Ed: Arkansas faces drought

Arkansas looking for relief from drought conditions that continue to take toll on communities. Will the there be any relief in sight?

National Weather Service said Sunday, eleven high-temperature records fell in Arkansas on Saturday and three others were tied. The forecast calls for highs in the mid-90s to near 100 degrees through Thursday with a chance for rain, the weather service said. As stated at forecast.weather.gov. Arkansas' fire danger rated as “high" by the Arkansas Forestry Commission, and burn bans are in effect in 55 of the state's 75 counties. Pop up brush fires have been seen all over the state in the last month. Information on current burn bans can be found on State Forestry Commission websites such as arkfireinfo.org. My families home has been one of the latest losses to the severe dry conditions, when a brush fire was started due to dry conditions and within a matter of 20 minutes not only was family house burnt to ground but an additional two acres of land was burnt. The state is also in the midst of drought, with parts of central Arkansas in exceptional drought, the most severe drought rating, according the U.S. Drought Monitor.