Alert archive / Arkansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 23, NWS Shreveport, LA

April 3, 2012Union County, Arkansas

NWS Shreveport, LA issued this flash flood warning at Apr 3, 2012, 3:25 PM CDT for Union County, Arkansas. It was in force for 3 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 3, 2012, 3:25 PM CDT (20:25 UTC)
Expired: Apr 3, 2012, 6:15 PM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Shreveport, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Union County, AR

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 161 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:26 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 152 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: 1328 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -64 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 475 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 148 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 286 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 8.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

933 
WGUS54 KSHV 032025
FFWSHV
ARC139-032315-
/O.NEW.KSHV.FF.W.0023.120403T2025Z-120403T2315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
325 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  UNION COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...NORPHLET...JUNCTION CITY...HUTTIG...
  EL DORADO...

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 325 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT CONTINUE TO TRAIN 
  NORTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UNION COUNTY. DOPPLAR RADAR 
  ESTIMATES THAT WIDESPREAD ONE TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN 
  OVER UNION COUNTY...WITH ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL REDEVELOPING FARTHER 
  SOUTHWEST ACROSS CLAIBORNE PARISH THAT WILL MOVE INTO UNION COUNTY OVER THE 
  NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. THUS...THE RISK OF FLASH FLOODING WILL INCREASE DURING
  THE MID AND LATE AFTERNOON HOURS.  

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO CALION...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF TWO TO FOUR INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN
THE WARNED AREA THROUGH 615 PM.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF FLOOD WATERS. ONLY A FEW INCHES OF
RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER CAN QUICKLY CARRY AWAY YOUR VEHICLE.

&&

LAT...LON 3302 9207 3302 9298 3314 9299 3338 9265
      3338 9258 3333 9251 3333 9247 3328 9244
      3330 9235 3327 9232 3326 9223 3321 9221
      3321 9218 3317 9215 3315 9210 3310 9213

$$

15

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.

NWS Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Apr 3, 3:23 PM CDT, 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 3:23 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
323 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

.DISCUSSION...
THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS INCREASING FOR OUR ENTIRE AREA AS
TIME PROGRESSES. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE FIRED ALONG AN EAST-WEST
STATIONARY BOUNDARY ACROSS THE LOUISIANA-ARKANSAS BORDER
AND...NOW...THE BOUNDARY IS SLOWLY BEGINNING TO DRIFT
SOUTHEASTWARD. THE THREAT FROM THESE STORMS APPEARS TO BE MAINLY
LARGE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. THE LARGER THREAT IS WITH THE
THUNDERSTORMS CURRENTLY ALONG THE I-35 CORRIDOR...WHERE A TORNADIC
THREAT IS ONGOING AND WILL MOVE EASTWARD INTO NORTHEAST TEXAS
LATER THIS AFTERNOON. LAPS SURFACE HELICITY VALUES OVER NORTHEAST
TEXAS ARE GREATER THAN 250 METERS SQUARED PER SECONDS SQUARED.
THIS IS MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO SUSTAIN A TORNADIC ENVIRONMENT
WELL INTO OUR CWA. DIVERGENT FLOW ALOFT AND UPPER LEVEL IMPULSES
WILL ENHANCE THIS ACTIVITY AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES. VERY LARGE
HAIL AND VERY GUSTY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH ALL STORMS THAT
FORM IN THE ENVIRONMENT JUST AHEAD OF THE LINE...AS WELL AS THE
SQUALL LINE ITSELF.

TOMORROW...MUCH OF THIS ACTIVITY WILL STILL BE A GOOD PORTION OF
THE AREA...OUR EASTERN AREAS AT THE VERY LEAST. THE SEVERE WEATHER
THREAT WILL STILL EXIST...BUT SHOULD NOT BE AS GREAT AS IT WILL BE
THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE ACTIVITY SHOULD BEGIN
TO CEASE FROM WEST TO EAST AS THE DAY PROGRESSES...WITH THE SQUALL
LINE. AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW EJECTS EASTWARD ACROSS ARKANSAS...OUR
NORTHERN SECTION OF COUNTIES WILL SEE A CHANCE FOR SOME SHOWERS
AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

EXTENDED...A FRONTAL BOUNDARY APPEARS TO STALL OUT ACROSS THE FOUR
STATE REGION ON SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...BRINGING A DECENT CHANCE FOR
PRECIPITATION DURING THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...
SCT CONVECTION TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION BEFORE STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A POTENT UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER
N TX PUSH EWD INTO THE REGION. TERMINALS WILL BE AFFECTED
INTERMITTENTLY BY CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY
MORNING. EXPECT CATEGORY REDUCTIONS WITH VERY GUSTY WINDS VC
CONVECTION. OTHERWISE...SOUTHERLY WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS TO PERSIST
BEFORE WINDS TURN OUT OF THE WSW BEHIND A FRONTAL BOUNDARY DURING
WEDNESDAY MORNING. /12/

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SHV  66  82  54  75  54 /  70  20  10  10   0
MLU  66  83  57  77  54 /  70  50  20  10   0
DEQ  59  75  52  72  51 /  70  30  20  10   0
TXK  64  78  54  72  52 /  70  20  20  10   0
ELD  66  81  54  74  52 /  70  30  20  10   0
TYR  57  76  56  75  56 /  70  20  10  10   0
GGG  59  78  55  75  54 /  70  20  10  10   0
LFK  64  81  57  80  57 /  70  20  10  10   0

&&

.SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...NONE.
LA...NONE.
OK...NONE.
TX...NONE.
&&

ITO/12

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 3, 11:45 AM CDT, 3 hours 40 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1145 AM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077-
TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-041645-
SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE-
COLUMBIA-UNION AR-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN-
UNION LA-DE SOTO-RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-SABINE LA-
NATCHITOCHES-WINN-GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-MCCURTAIN-BOWIE-
FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP-MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-UPSHUR-MARION-SMITH-GREGG-
HARRISON-CHEROKEE-RUSK-PANOLA-NACOGDOCHES-SHELBY-ANGELINA-
SAN AUGUSTINE-SABINE TX-
1145 AM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
ARKANSAS...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...EAST TEXAS AND
NORTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE INCREASING OVER THE AREA
DURING THE AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT AS TEMPERATURES WARM AND
DISTURBANCES ALOFT MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. AN UPPER LEVEL
CLOSED LOW MOVING OVER PARTS OF TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA WILL
CONTINUE LIFTING NORTHEAST SENDING A SURFACE LOW ACROSS
OKLAHOMA...WITH ITS TRAILING DRY LINE BEING OVERTAKEN BY A
COLD FRONT. BY LATE TONIGHT THE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL BE
NEARING A BROKEN BOW OKLAHOMA TO TYLER/LONGVIEW TEXAS LINE.
STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL DEVELOP OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT
AND WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE SYSTEM. LARGE HAIL AND HIGH AND
DAMAGING WINDS WILL REMAIN THE MAIN THREATS. LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THUNDERSTORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ALONG AND NEAR THE FRONTAL
BOUNDARY DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY WITH EFFICIENT RAIN PRODUCING
STORMS...AS WELL AS A CHANCE FOR LARGE HAIL AND HIGH AND DAMAGING
WINDS. BY LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WEDNESDAY...WITH DRY
AIR SPREADING INTO THE FOUR STATE REGION IN WAKE OF THE BOUNDARY...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

THE ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...HAM RADIO
OPERATORS...AND STORM SPOTTERS MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY AND
OVERNIGHT...AND INTO WEDNESDAY.

23

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 3, 2:31 PM CDT, 54 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
231 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

LAZ004-006-032030-
CLAIBORNE-UNION-
231 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY...EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 PM CDT...FOR THE FOLLOWING
PARISHES...

IN NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
     UNION...
IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...
     CLAIBORNE...

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
     HOMER...

AT 231 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
DETECTING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES EAST OF HOMER...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS OF 40 TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM. SHOULD THIS STORM INTENSIFY...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
WILL BE NEEDED.

15

Special weather statement, Apr 3, 2:40 PM CDT, 45 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
240 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

ARZ073-032045-
UNION-
240 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY...EFFECTIVE UNTIL 345 PM CDT...FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY...

IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS...
     UNION...

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
     CALION...EL DORADO...HUTTIG...JUNCTION CITY...LAPILE...LAWSON...
     STRONG...URBANA AND WESSON...

AT 240 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
DETECTING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM CALION TO
WESSON...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES EAST OF NORPHLET TO
6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF EL DORADO...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS. SHOULD THESE STORMS INTENSIFY...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING WILL
BE NEEDED.

15

Special weather statement, Apr 3, 2:51 PM CDT, 34 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
251 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

LAZ002-003-032045-
BOSSIER-WEBSTER-
251 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY...EFFECTIVE UNTIL 345 PM CDT...FOR THE FOLLOWING
PARISHES...

IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...
     BOSSIER AND WEBSTER...

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
     DIXIE INN...DOYLINE...DUBBERLY...MINDEN AND SIBLEY...

AT 251 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
DETECTING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DOYLINE...OR
NEAR KORAN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS OF 40 TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.

15

Local storm report, Apr 3, 2:56 PM CDT, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
256 PM CDT TUE APR 03 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0252 PM     HAIL             N SHREVEPORT            32.47N 93.80W
04/03/2012  E0.75 INCH       CADDO              LA   BROADCAST MEDIA

            PEA TO PENNY SIZE HAIL ON NORTH MARKET JUST NORTH OF
            I220.

&&

13

Special weather statement, Apr 3, 2:56 PM CDT, 29 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
256 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

LAZ001-002-032045-
BOSSIER-CADDO-
256 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY...EFFECTIVE UNTIL 345 PM CDT...FOR THE FOLLOWING
PARISHES...

IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...
     CADDO AND BOSSIER...

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
     BENTON AND BLANCHARD...

AT 256 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
DETECTING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTH SHREVEPORT...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 15 MPH.

PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.

15

Special weather statement, Apr 3, 3:15 PM CDT, 10 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
315 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

TXZ096-109-032115-
RED RIVER-TITUS-
315 PM CDT TUE APR 3 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY...EFFECTIVE UNTIL 415 PM CDT...FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES...

IN NORTHEAST TEXAS...
     RED RIVER AND TITUS...

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
     MOUNT PLEASANT AND WILKERSON...

AT 315 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
DETECTING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES NORTH OF LEESBURG...MOVING
NORTH AT 25 MPH.

PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS OF 40 TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM. SHOULD THIS STORM INTENSIFY...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING WILL
BE NEEDED.

15

The office that day

Everything else NWS Shreveport, LA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 3, 12:23 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	SHV	Nevada	112 min
Apr 3, 3:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SHV	Union	63 min
Apr 3, 5:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SHV	Little River	54 min
Apr 3, 6:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SHV	Little River, Sevier	61 min
Apr 3, 6:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SHV	Columbia, Lafayette, Miller	58 min
Apr 3, 6:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SHV	Miller	67 min
Apr 3, 6:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SHV	Howard, Little River, Miller, Sevier	53 min
Apr 3, 6:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	SHV	Lafayette, Miller	67 min
Apr 3, 6:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SHV	Columbia, Union	52 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arkansas, 2012 Every flash flood warning in 2012

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.