With the wettest start to a year ever, Little Rock sets a record

Little Rock, Arkansas – Think about a moment in 2023 when it didn’t rain for an extended period of time. It must be challenging, right?

Those who work outdoors have noticed that it has felt like there has been some amount of rain each week to start this year.

“Getting up under her drive, so we’re trying to get it out and down the drive here,” Cedric Webb, owner of Going the Extra Mile Landscaping, said while working on a home in Little Rock. “Everybody’s more concerned about the water getting into the home.”

It doesn’t matter if it’s a washout or a drizzle. Rain has aided in the growth of Webb and his team’s landscape, but it also presents a number of challenges.

“We’re definitely doing record numbers for getting the calls,” he said. “You know, being able to get to the jobs and get them done in a timely fashion.”

It was revealed to us by the owner of the hold they have been working on that they have had to reschedule multiple times, which is beyond of Webb’s control.

“Everybody’s been considerate, due to the tornado, due to the record rainfall, everyone’s been considerate,” he said.

It did rain a record amount.

Farmers have also been keeping an eye on the sky in addition to landscapers who have had to avoid the rainfall.

“Because of those wet soil conditions, so, those are some of the challenges that we have in different types of agriculture that we’re looking at right now,” Vic Ford, Associate Vice President of the University of Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture, said.

Fortunately, he said that their plans have already been modified.

“Folks have adapted to stay in business and how to get around that,” Ford said. “I think a lot of folks that I have talked to have been very successful.”

They had no choice but to do it with the wet start to the year. As they work around Mother Nature, Webb said patience is essential.

“You want to try to, you know, help everyone,” he said. “You got to have patience so you can be able to get to everyone in time.”