Alert archive / Arkansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2020
Flash Flood Warning 71, NWS Little Rock, AR
NWS Little Rock, AR issued this flash flood warning at Aug 26, 2020, 11:10 AM CDT for Polk 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 counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 26, 2020, 11:10 AM CDT (16:10 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 26, 2020, 2:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Little Rock, AR
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Flood severity
- None
County Polk County, AR
The radar
The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:14 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
Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 12:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 227 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1105 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -30 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 593 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 13 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 87 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 75 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
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 Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Aug 26, 6:39 AM CDT, 4 hours 31 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 6:39 AM CDT, 4 hours 31 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Little Rock AR 639 AM CDT Wed Aug 26 2020 .UPDATE... Updated to include the 12Z aviation discussion. && .AVIATION... IFR/MVFR cloud decks continue to move into the state from the east. Meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms continue to develop across the state this morning and will track north before moving out or dissipating this evening. IFR/MVFR conditions are expected through much of the period, with VFR conditions anticipated by late afternoon when the showers move out. MVFR conditions are expected to return early morning Thursday, ahead of the approaching tropical system. && .PREV DISCUSSION...(ISSUED 454 AM CDT Wed Aug 26 2020) ..LAURA EXPECTED TO IMPACT ARKANSAS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY... Early this morning, Hurricane Laura continues to intensify in the Gulf of Mexico. Needless to say, this will be the big weather story for the next few days. Latest official NHC forecast, as well as most model solutions, bring Laura on land near Sabine Pass (Texas/Louisiana border) tonight. Thereafter, Laura moves around the periphery of an upper ridge centered off the southeast CONUS, moving in to southwest Arkansas during the afternoon Thursday where it will gradually degenerate into a depression. By Friday, what's left of Laura will merge into a longwave trough digging down into the mid Mississippi Valley. This should allow the system to accelerate in the Ohio Valley Friday Night into Saturday. Meanwhile, ridging will remain firmly in place over the southwest CONUS. A frontal boundary will move into the region behind Laura, and should stall as it hits the ridge. With several waves moving around the periphery of the ridge into early next week, the interaction of the two systems should provide a focus for scattered showers/storms. Now, back to Laura. Have gone ahead and issued a Flash Flood Watch from southwest into central and north central Arkansas. Southwest/western Arkansas is a given, seeing as how they've had an overabundance of precip as of late. No doubt, response time will be much slower into central and north central Arkansas, but with a moist tropical airmass (efficient rainfall production), rain bands repeatedly hitting the same areas(training), and the amount of qpf in the current forecast, can't justify leaving them out. As we've discussed before, Laura should enter Arkansas as a tropical storm. It will continue to weaken as it shifts through western and into north central Arkansas Thursday night. At the point Laura moves into our forecast area, sustained winds could be tropical storm strength, so have gone with a Tropical Storm Watch for several of my far southwest counties. And, speaking of winds, sustained speeds of 30 to 40 MPH will be possible, with gusts of 40 to 50 MPH, especially around the center of circulation. Tornadoes will be possible in rain bands north and east of the center. These are generally short-lived, shallow circulations. So...to recap the hazards addressed... -Flash flooding, with rainfall amounts of four to six inches (localized in excess of seven), with the highest probability from western/southwest into central Arkansas. Rain will be heaviest Thursday afternoon through the day Friday, diminishing from southwest to northeast during the afternoon. -Gusty winds, possibly sustained tropical storm force initially, with the highest probability over southwest Arkansas as Laura moves into the state during the afternoon and evening Thursday. -A few tornadoes in the rain bands north and east of the center, with the highest possibility Thursday afternoon and evening. Many thanks this morning to WFOs Tulsa, Memphis, Jackson, and Shreveport for excellent coordination and collaboration on this forecast. && .LZK Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Flash Flood Watch from Thursday afternoon through Friday evening FOR Calhoun-Clark-Cleburne-Conway-Dallas-Faulkner-Garland-Grant- Hot Spring-Independence-Montgomery-Ouachita-Perry-Pike-Polk-Pope- Pulaski-Saline-Scott-Searcy-Stone-Van Buren-White-Yell. Tropical Storm Watch FOR Calhoun-Clark-Dallas-Ouachita-Pike. && Aviation...SHELTON
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 26, 4:03 AM CDT, 7 hours 7 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Little Rock AR 403 AM CDT Wed Aug 26 2020 ARZ003>008-012>017-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-271000- Boone-Marion-Baxter-Fulton-Sharp-Randolph-Newton-Searcy-Stone- Izard-Independence-Lawrence-Johnson-Pope-Van Buren-Cleburne- Jackson-Logan-Conway-Faulkner-White-Woodruff-Scott-Yell-Perry- Polk-Montgomery-Garland-Saline-Pulaski-Lonoke-Prairie-Monroe-Pike- Clark-Hot Spring-Grant-Jefferson-Arkansas-Dallas-Cleveland- Lincoln-Desha-Ouachita-Calhoun-Bradley-Drew- 403 AM CDT Wed Aug 26 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for a Large Part of Arkansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Chances for showers and thunderstorms will increase Wednesday, ahead of the remnants of Hurricane Laura. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday Through Tuesday The remnants of Laura are expected to move across the state from south to northeast on Thursday evening into late Friday. Heavy rainfall will be possible along the track with this system. Flash flooding will be possible where storms develop and move over the same locations. Forecast rainfall amounts will range from 4 to over 6 inches for much of the area...with locally higher amounts in excess of 7 inches possible. Gusty winds are expected to accompany this system. Winds of 30 to 40 mph are expected, with gusts to 50 mph possible. There will also be a limited tornado threat across all but northwest Arkansas, generally to the north and east of the center of circulation. Showers and thunderstorms will return on Sunday, however the threat of additional hazardous weather is low at this time. .Spotter Information Statement... Spotter activation will not be needed. && Visit NWS Little Rock on the web. Go to http://weather.gov/lzk.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 26, 7:37 AM CDT, 3 hours 33 minutes before
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Little Rock AR 737 AM CDT Wed Aug 26 2020 ARZ037-040-261300- Polk AR-Scott AR- 737 AM CDT Wed Aug 26 2020 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTH CENTRAL POLK AND SOUTHWESTERN SCOTT COUNTIES UNTIL 800 AM CDT... At 737 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Mena, moving north at 10 mph. Half inch hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Mena... Beauchamp... Queen Wilhelmina State Park... Acorn... Y City... Rich Mountain... Ink... Eagleton... Shady Grove... Boles... PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm, and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. && LAT...LON 3458 9411 3458 9431 3485 9443 3486 9403 TIME...MOT...LOC 1237Z 159DEG 11KT 3465 9422 67
Local storm report, Aug 26, 8:46 AM CDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Little Rock, AR issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 3:11 AM CDT | Flash Flood Watch | LZK | Arkansas, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland and 23 more | 50 hr |
| Aug 26, 4:46 AM CDT | Tropical Storm Watch | LZK | Calhoun, Clark, Dallas, Ouachita, Pike | 12 hr |
| Aug 26, 6:49 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Montgomery, Pike | 3 hr |
| Aug 26, 7:37 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | LZK | Scott | 23 min |
| Aug 26, 10:10 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Polk | 3 hr |
| Aug 26, 10:14 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | LZK | Clark, Nevada, Ouachita | 35 hr |
| Aug 26, 10:20 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | LZK | Saline | 49 hr |
| Aug 26, 10:45 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | LZK | Calhoun, Ouachita | 72 hr |
| Aug 26, 10:48 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | LZK | Clark, Hot Spring | 48 hr |
| Aug 26, 10:52 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | LZK | Bradley, Calhoun, Union | 6 days |
| Aug 26, 3:49 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | LZK | Perry | 26 min |
| Aug 26, 4:23 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | LZK | Saline | 22 min |
| Aug 26, 4:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Garland, Hot Spring, Pulaski, Saline | 27 min |
| Aug 26, 4:38 PM CDT | Tropical Storm Warning | LZK | Arkansas, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Dallas and 13 more | 30 hr |
| Aug 26, 4:58 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | LZK | Saline | 32 min |
| Aug 26, 6:00 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | LZK | Faulkner | 30 min |
| Aug 26, 6:32 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | LZK | White | 28 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Arkansas, 2020Every flash flood warning in 2020
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.