Flash Flood in Arkansas, September 26, 1996

Thunderstorms during the morning and early afternoon of September 26th produced very heavy rainfall which resulted in widespread flash flooding across northwest Arkansas. One of the storms also briefly became severe and produced a tornado in Lavaca in Sebastian County. The tornado was on the ground for about 30 seconds and was 25 yards wide with a 1/4 mile path length. The tornado tore shingles off a school, knocked windows out of some cars, and downed a few trees and 1 power line. No injuries occurred with this F0 tornado.4 to 8 inches of rain were common across northwest Arkansas, and this excessive rainfall resulted in the flash flooding. In Benton County, several inches of water covered State Highway 12 between Vaughn and Bentonville, and many creeks and secondary roads were flooded in Bentonville. In Washington County, major street flooding occurred in Fayetteville, and several creeks and secondary roads were flooded in Fayetteville. Street flooding also occurred in Cincinnati. In Crawford County, 4 to 5 inches of water covered roads in the Old Town area of Van Buren, and street flooding occurred in Natural Dam. In Carroll County, State Highway 21 south of Berryville was closed due to flooding. In Madison County, State Highway 23 north of Huntsville was closed due to major flooding. In Sebastian County, major street flooding occurred in Barling, and some homes were flooded in Barling.