Flash Flooding and Hail in Arkansas, June 16 to 17, 1997

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Arkansas, June 16 to 17, 1997
Start: 1997-06-16T18:05
End: 1997-06-17T00:00
Location: Arkansas

June 16 to 17, 1997 · NWS TSA · 9 events in 4 counties and zones

4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $3,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sebastian

When: June 16, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Sebastian County, Nr Hartford
Property damage: $100
Coordinates: 35.220, -94.230

Hail, Washington

When: June 16, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Washington County, Greenland
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.000, -94.170

Hail, Washington

When: June 16, 7:55 PM CST to 8:11 PM CST
Where: Washington County, 3 mi SSE of Fayetteville
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 36.030, -94.150

Hail, Crawford

When: June 16, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, Mountainburg
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.630, -94.170

Hail, Washington

When: June 16, 8:25 PM CST
Where: Washington County, 3 mi SSE of Fayetteville
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 36.030, -94.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: June 16, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Madison County, St Paul
Property damage: $100
Coordinates: 35.820, -93.770

Flash Flood, Sebastian

When: June 16, 11:00 PM CST to June 17, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Sebastian County, Nr Lavaca
Coordinates: 35.199, -94.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When: June 16, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Washington County, Springdale
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 36.180, -94.130

Flash Flood, Washington

When: June 16, 11:30 PM CST to June 17, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Washington County, Fayetteville
Coordinates: 35.979, -94.216 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe thunderstorms moved across northwest Arkansas during the evening of June 16th. Strong thunderstorm winds blew a U-Haul trailer into the street and downed trees in Springdale, and at least 1 tree and several large tree limbs were blown down near Hartford. Large tree limbs were blown down in St. Paul, and quarter to golfball size hail fell at Greenland. Dime to nickel size hail fell at the Fayetteville Airport 3 miles south southeast of Fayetteville, and dime size hail fell at Mountainburg. The storms also produced very heavy rainfall which resulted in flash flooding. State Highways 96 and 255 were covered by high water near Lavaca, and street flooding occurred in Fayetteville.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, June 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5620599, 5620600, 5620601, 5620602, 5620603, 5620604, 5620605, 5620606, 5620607.