Alert archive / Arkansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1987

Flash Flood Warning 13, NWS Little Rock, AR

December 24, 1987Lonoke County, Pulaski County, Saline County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this flash flood warning at Dec 24, 1987, 6:35 PM CST for Lonoke County, Pulaski County, Saline County, Arkansas. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 24, 1987, 6:35 PM CST (00:35 UTC)
Expired
Dec 24, 1987, 9:30 PM CST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Little Rock, AR
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lonoke County, AR, Pulaski County, AR, Saline County, AR

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 214 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1987-12-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1987-12-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -85 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3600 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-42 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KLIT 250035 RRA
FFWLIT
ARC051-085-117-119-125-250330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
635 PM CST THU DEC 24 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS
          ...GARLAND...LONOKE...PRAIRIE
          ...PULASKI...SALINE
 
FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED IN A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS INCLUDING
HOT SPRINGS...LITTLE ROCK...BRYANT...SHANNON HILLS...BENTON...
AND CARLISLE. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF CARS STALLING IN HIGH
WATER.
 
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES HAVE BEEN COMMON IN THESE COUNTIES
SO FAR TODAY...AND RADAR INDICATES THAT ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL BE
MOVING THROUGH DURING THE EVENING HOURS. THE RAIN CONTINUES TO
DEVELOP FARTHER BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST AND MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST...
SO THE FLOODING WILL LIKELY INTENSIFY WHERE IT IS ALREADY OCCURRING.
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
28

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 24, 1:10 PM CST, 5 hours 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
107 PM CST THU DEC 24 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 574 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS
   OF SOUTHWESTERN ARKANSAS...

AT 100 PM CST..RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
COVERING MUCH OF THE STATE.

THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED JUST SOUTHEAST OF HOT SPRINGS
AND ABOUT 15 MILES WEST OF LITTLE ROCK.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

SATELLITE PICTURES AND RADAR ALSO INDICATED MORE HEAVY RAINFALL MOVING
INTO SOUTHWESTERN ARKANSAS FROM NORTHEASTERN TEXAS. AMOUNTS OF AT
LEAST ONE INCH HAVE FALLEN OVER PARTS OF SOUTHWESTERN AND WEST CENTRAL
ARKANSAS DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS.
|
RESIDENTS OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN AND WEST CENTRAL PARTS OF THE STATE
SHOULD BE ALERT THE NEXT FEW HOURS FOR NOT ONLY THE POSSIBILITY OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS..BUT ALSO SOME FLOODING.

22
Special weather statement, Dec 24, 1:33 PM CST, 5 hours 2 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
125 PM CST THU DEC 24 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 574 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS
   OF SOUTHWESTERN ARKANSAS...

AT 125 PM CST..ISOLATED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH RATHER HEAVY RAIN
WERE OCCURRING IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS.

THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED 20 MILES SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF LITTLE ROCK...
JUST WEST OF SEARCY...AND 10 MILES WEST OF HEBER SPRINGS.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

OTHER SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WERE OCCURRING OVER MOST OF
THE STATE...EXCEPT EXTREME SOUTH AND NORTHEAST SECTIONS.
Special weather statement, Dec 24, 2:18 PM CST, 4 hours 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
215 PM CST THU DEC 24 1987

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR POLK COUNTY  ARKANSAS AND
LEFLORE COUNTY OKLAHOMA HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

AT 215 PM CST THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED EAST OUT OF
THE COUNTIES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NO LONGER A THREAT.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS CONTINUE OVER WEST AND NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA WITH A FEW PRODUCING MODERATE TO
HEAVY RAINFALL BUT NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED.
Special weather statement, Dec 24, 2:34 PM CST, 4 hours 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
225 PM CST THU DEC 24 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 574 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS
   OF SOUTHWESTERN ARKANSAS...

AT 225 PM CST..ISOLATED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN
WERE OCCURRING IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 15
MILES SOUTHWEST OF LITTLE ROCK AND 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HOT SPRINGS.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

ELSEWHERE WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN CONTINUED  IN MOST SECTIONS OF THE STATE...EXCEPT
EXTREME SOUTH AND NORTHEAST SECTIONS.
Special weather statement, Dec 24, 3:06 PM CST, 3 hours 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
305 PM CST THU DEC 24 1987

      ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 574 CANCELLED...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 574 WHICH WAS ISSUED EARLIER TODAY
FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWESTERN ARKANSAS IS CANCELLED AND NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

AT 300 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUING ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTHERN 2/3 OF ARKANSAS.

THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 10 MILES EAST OF LONOKE...10 MILES
NORTH OF HAZEN AND 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF DES ARC.

MOVEMENT IS NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

SURFACE REPORTS ALSO INDICATED THAT LIGHT RAIN WAS FALLING OVER PARTS
OF SOUTHERN ARKANSAS.

REPEATING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 574 FOR SOUTHWESTERN
ARKANSAS IS CANCELLED AND NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

22
Special weather statement, Dec 24, 4:55 PM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes before
URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
454 PM CST THU DEC 24 1987

...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN OVER ARKANSAS...

PERSISTENT RAIN AND THUNDERSHOWERS HAVE OCCURRED IN A BAND FROM
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS THROUGH THE CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE INTO
EASTERN ARKANSAS TODAY.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 1/2 INCHES HAVE BEEN COMMON...BUT THERE
HAVE BEEN LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS. THE LARGEST TOTAL REPORTED THUS
FAR HAS BEEN 4 INCHES AT A GAGE IN WEST LITTLE ROCK.

STREET FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED AT A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS AND SOME OF
THE SMALLER CREEKS HAVE BEEN SWOLLEN BY THE RAINS.

AS OF 450 PM...RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE RAIN FALLING ACROSS MUCH
OF SOUTHWEST...CENTRAL...AND EASTERN ARKANSAS.
<
THIS SITUATION WILL BE WATCHED CLOSELY TONIGHT SINCE THE GROUND HAS
NOW BEEN COMPLETELY SATURATED.

RESIDENTS OF AREAS WHICH HAVE RECEIVED HEAVY RAIN TODAY SHOULD KEEP
ABREAST OF THE WEATHER TONIGHT JIN CASE FLASH FLOOD WATCHES OR WARNINGS
BECOME NECESSARY.

28

The office that day

Everything else NWS Little Rock, AR issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 24, 6:35 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKPrairie3 hr
Dec 24, 6:35 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKGarland3 hr
Dec 24, 9:25 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKPrairie, Woodruff3 hr
Dec 24, 9:25 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKLonoke, Pulaski3 hr
Dec 24, 9:25 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKSaline3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arkansas, 1987Every flash flood warning in 1987

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.