Flash Flooding in Arkansas, December 13, 2001

Name: Flash Flooding in Arkansas, December 13, 2001
Start: 2001-12-13T12:30
End: 2001-12-13T15:30
Location: Arkansas

December 13, 2001 · NWS LZK · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Additional heavy rains fell over saturated ground across Southeast Arkansas. This resulted in more flash flooding over the region.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.

Additional heavy rains fell over saturated ground across Southeast Arkansas. This resulted in more flash flooding over the region. A number of roads were covered by high water for several hours until the rainfall diminished.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Dec 13, 10:55 AM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 13, 10:55 AM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1055 AM CST THU DEC 13 2001

COLD FRONT THAT MOVED THROUGH ARKANSAS ON WEDNESDAY HAS BECOME
NEARLY STATIONARY JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE STATE. MEANWHILE...STRONG
SYSTEM ALOFT HEADING THROUGH TEXAS THIS MORNING. IN RESPONSE TO
SYSTEM...SURFACE LOW WILL FORM ALONG FRONT IN EAST TEXAS...AND WILL
TRACK INTO LOUISIANA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. NORTH OF THE FRONT...
WIDESPREAD RAIN EXPECTED TO DEVELOP...WITH THUNDERSHOWERS EMBEDDED
IN THE RAIN.

LATEST DATA SUGGESTING THAT AN INCH OF RAIN AND LOCALLY MORE COULD
FALL IN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. WITH THE
GROUND ALREADY SATURATED...ISSUED FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR
BRADLEY...DREW AND DESHA COUNTIES.

FARTHER NORTH...RAIN WILL BECOME LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH RAIN
CONTINUING IN MOST AREAS OVERNIGHT. UPPED RAIN CHANCES AND
AMOUNTS...AND ADDED A CHANCE OF THUNDERSHOWERS IN THE SOUTHEAST HALF
OF THE STATE.

LOOKS LIKE LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK RAPIDLY TO THE NORTHEAST
OVERNIGHT...WITH MOST PRECIPITATION ENDING BY FRIDAY MORNING.
HOWEVER...WRAPAROUND MOISTURE WILL LINGER IN THE NORTHERN
COUNTIES...WITH SOME LEFTOVER LIGHT PRECIPITATION.

FOR NOW...HAVE MENTIONED A CHANCE OF RAIN FRIDAY MORNING IN THE
NORTH. COLDER AIR WRAPPING AROUND SURFACE LOW TRYING TO CHANGE RAIN
INTO SOME WET SNOW FLAKES. HOWEVER...LOOKS A BIT TOO WARM IN THE
BOUNDARY LAYER TO MENTION SNOW AT THIS TIME.

HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING DRY WEATHER ON FRIDAY. HOWEVER...HIGH WILL
MOVE TO EAST SATURDAY...WITH RETURN FLOW BRINGING MORE MOISTURE FROM
GULF AND YET ANOTHER SHOT OF RAIN FOR THE WEEKEND.  (46)

.LIT...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS TODAY...
       ARZONES 65-68-69

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 145 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Desha

When: December 13, 12:30 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Desha County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.833, -91.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Drew

When: December 13, 12:30 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Drew County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.589, -91.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bradley

When: December 13, 12:30 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Bradley County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.466, -92.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, December 2001

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: 5275558, 5275559, 5275560.