Alert archive / Arkansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 20, NWS Tulsa, OK

April 7, 20027 counties in Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this flash flood warning at Apr 7, 2002, 9:28 PM CDT for 7 counties in Arkansas. It was in force for 6 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Apr 7, 2002, 9:28 PM CDT (02:28 UTC)
Expired: Apr 8, 2002, 3:15 AM CDT
In force: 6 hr
Issued by: NWS Tulsa, OK
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Benton County, AR, Carroll County, AR, Crawford County, AR, Franklin County, AR, Madison County, AR, Sebastian County, AR, Washington County, AR

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:30 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 135 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 472 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 333 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 365 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 
WGUS54 KTSA 080228
FFWTUL
ARC007-015-033-047-087-131-143-080815-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
928 PM CDT SUN APR 7 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR
  BENTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
  CARROLL COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
  CRAWFORD COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
  MADISON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
  FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS
  SEBASTIAN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 315 AM CDT

* A SERIOUS FLASH FLOOD SITUATION IS DEVELOPING ACROSS PARTS OF 
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.  

THROUGH 9PM RAINFALL HAS TOTALED 2 TO 4 INCHES ACROSS A WIDE PORTION 
OF THE WARNED AREA.  FLASH FLOODING WAS UNDERWAY IN SEBASTIAN COUNTY 
WHERE SEVERAL FORT SMITH STREETS WHERE COVERED IN WATER AND A BRIDGE 
NEAR LAVACA WAS FLOODED.

AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED BEFORE THE RAIN 
ENDS.  THE RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MIDNIGHT AND THEN BEGIN TO 
DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST.

SERIOUS FLASH FLOODING IS LIKELY FROM THE FORT SMITH... GREENWOOD 
AND LAVACA AREAS ON NORTHEAST ACROSS VAN BUREN AND MOUNTAINBURG TO 
AROUND HUNTSVILLE...FAYETTEVILLE...WAR EAGLE...EUREKA SPRINGS...AND 
BERRYVILLE.

IN ADDITION...WIDESPREAD FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AREAS IS EXPECTED 
THROUGHOUT THE WARNED AREA.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS TONIGHT AS IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE 
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS AFTER DARK. 

IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...YOU SHOULD ALREADY BE PREPARED 
MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN 
AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

LAT...LON 3599 9344 3577 9369 3538 9370 3541 9380
          3533 9380 3532 9391 3523 9391 3523 9403
          3494 9443 3541 9443 3649 9460 3649 9329
          3613 9329 3613 9346

3 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS74 KTSA 080324
FFSTUL
ARC007-015-033-047-087-131-143-080815-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1025 PM CDT SUN APR 7 2002

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR CARROLL...BENTON...MADISON...
   WASHINGTON...FRANKLIN...CRAWFORD AND SEBASTIAN COUNTIES UNTIL 
   315 AM CDT...

...MAJOR FLOODING IN SEBASTIAN AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES...

AT 1010 PM HIGHWAY 255 NEAR BUTLER AND CENTRAL CITY IN SEBASTIAN 
COUNTY WAS REPORTED FLOODED.  IN ADDITION...WATER WAS RISING QUICKLY 
ON HIGHWAY 45 BETWEEN HACKETT AND HARTFORD.

JUST BEFORE 10PM WATER WAS THREATENING AN APARTMENT COMPLEX IN 
CHARLESTON AND MANY FORT SMITH STREETS WERE FLOODED.

RAINFAL AMOUNTS THROUGH 10PM INCLUDE...
FAYETEVILLE...2.75 INCHES
FORT SMITH...3.95 INCHES
HIGHFILL...2.52 INCHES

THIS REMAINS A DANGEROUS FLASH FLOOD SITUATION IN NORTHWEST AND WEST 
CENTRAL ARKANSAS.  DRIVING ONTO WATER COVERED ROADS WILL RISK YOUR 
LIFE

LAT...LON 3599 9344 3577 9369 3538 9370 3541 9380
          3533 9380 3532 9391 3523 9391 3523 9403
          3494 9443 3541 9443 3649 9460 3649 9329
          3613 9329 3613 9346

000 
WGUS74 KTSA 080428
FFSTUL
ARC007-015-033-047-087-131-143-080815-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1125 PM CDT SUN APR 7 2002

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR CARROLL...BENTON...MADISON...
   WASHINGTON...FRANKLIN...CRAWFORD AND SEBASTIAN COUNTIES UNTIL 
   315 AM CDT...

...WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS OCCURRING IN NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL 
ARKANSAS...

AT 1120 PM RAIN CONTINUED TO FALL ACROSS ALL OF THE WARNED AREA.  
WIDESPREAD 2 TO 4 INCH AMOUNTS HAVE OCCURRED WITH RADAR DATA 
SUGGESTING THAT AMOUNTS AROUND 5 INCHES MAY HAVE FALLEN FROM THE 
NORTHSIDE OF FORT SMITH...ACROSS VAN BUREN AND INTO NORTHERN 
FRANKLIN COUNTY.

NUMEROUS COUNTY ROADS AND LOW-WATER CROSSINGS HAVE BEEN FLOODED IN 
SEBASTIAN...CRAWFORD...FRANKLIN...WASHINGTON...CARROLL AND MADISON 
COUNTIES.

JUST BEFORE 10PM NUMEROUS STREETS WERE FLOODED IN FORT SMITH AND 
VAN BUREN. 

WIRE ROAD IN FRANKLIN COUNTY NEAR FELKER TOWN WAS REPORTED TO BE 
WATER COVERED AROUND 1030 PM.

OVERALL RAINFALL RATES DECREASED BETWEEN 10 AND 11PM...HOWEVER WATER 
LEVELS WILL REMAIN SLOW TO FALL DUE TO THE ONGOING RAIN.  RUNOFF IN 
SOME OF THE HILLY AREAS WILL CAUSE SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS TO 
CONTINUE TO RISE.  PERSONS THAT LIVE ALONG FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD 
CONTINUE TO BE READY TO MOVE TO A SAFER LOCATION.  

MOTORISTS SHOULD REMAIN VERY ALERT AND NEVER DRIVE ONTO A FLOODED 
ROAD OR STREET.

LAT...LON 3650 9394 3649 9461 3541 9443 3493 9444
          3515 9402 3523 9403 3523 9391 3532 9391
          3532 9380 3541 9380 3538 9370 3577 9368
          3613 9329 3649 9329

000 
WGUS74 KTSA 080551
FFSTUL
ARC007-015-033-047-087-131-143-080815-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1251 AM CDT MON APR 8 2002

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR CARROLL...BENTON...MADISON...
   WASHINGTON...FRANKLIN...CRAWFORD AND SEBASTIAN COUNTIES UNTIL 
   315 AM CDT...

...FLOODING CONTINUES ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS...

AT 1250 AM...MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE TO FALL ACROSS ALL OF 
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED 
THE HEAVIEST RAINS FALLING ACROSS CARROLL...MADISON...FRANKLIN AND 
SOUTHERN SEBASTIAN COUNTIES. ALL OF THE RAINS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST 
AT 30 MPH.

BETWEEN 2 AND 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN SO FAR ACROSS THE FLASH 
FLOOD WARNING AREA. NUMEROUS COUNTY ROADS AND LOW-WATER CROSSINGS 
HAVE BEEN FLOODED IN SEBASTIAN...CRAWFORD...FRANKLIN...WASHINGTON... 
CARROLL AND MADISON COUNTIES. AT 1230 AM...THE FRANKLIN COUNTY 
OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORTED WATER OVER MANY ROADS IN 
FRANKLIN COUNTY AROUND OZARK. 

THE RAIN WAS DIMINISHING QUICKLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...AND THE 
DIMINISHING TREND WILL SPREAD INTO WESTERN ARKANSAS BY 2 AM. ANOTHER 
ONE HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAIN COULD FALL BETWEEN 1 AM AND 315 AM 
BEFORE THE RAINS END.

PERSONS THAT LIVE ALONG FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE 
READY TO MOVE TO A SAFER LOCATION.  

MOTORISTS SHOULD REMAIN VERY ALERT AND NEVER DRIVE ONTO A FLOODED 
ROAD OR STREET.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 7, 7:33 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	Carroll, Madison, Washington	3 hr
Apr 8, 3:01 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	Carroll, Franklin, Madison	3 hr
Apr 8, 6:05 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	Franklin, Madison	4 hr
Apr 8, 2:36 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	Crawford	3 hr
Apr 8, 3:05 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	Sebastian	3 hr
Apr 8, 3:18 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	Madison	3 hr
Apr 8, 3:51 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	Franklin	2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arkansas, 2002 Every flash flood warning in 2002

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.