Arkansas, 2001

Flash Flooding in Arkansas, December 16 to 17, 2001

December 16 to 17, 2001 · NWS LZK · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Widespread heavy rains fell from the afternoon of the 16th through the early morning hours of the 17th. Between 3 and 5 inches of rainfall (with locally heavier amounts) over a 36 hour period was common across northern and western Arkansas.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

Widespread heavy rains fell from the afternoon of the 16th through the early morning hours of the 17th. Between 3 and 5 inches of rainfall (with locally heavier amounts) over a 36 hour period was common across northern and western Arkansas. The heavy rains resulted in flash flooding over a large part of the region. Numerous county roads were flooded or washed out. A number of homes and businesses also sustained damage from the high flood waters.

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 16, 12:20 PM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 12:20 PM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1220 PM CST SUN DEC 16 2001

HEAVY RAIN OVERNIGHT IN NORTHERN/WESTERN ARKANSAS...WITH ONE TO
THREE INCHES COMMON...AND LOCALLY THREE TO FIVE INCHES. HEAVY RAIN
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH FLASH FLOODING LIKELY.

FARTHER SOUTHEAST...NOT AS MUCH RAIN OVERNIGHT...BUT PRECIPITATION
EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD THIS AFTERNOON. STORM SYSTEM IN
TEXAS WILL MOVE INTO THE STATE...AND WILL DRAG A COLD FRONT INTO THE
SOUTHEAST. SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT...WITH
SOME STORMS POSSIBLY SEVERE. DOWNPOURS WILL FALL ON AN ALREADY
SATURATED GROUND DUE TO RECENT HEAVY RAIN EVENTS...WITH FLASH
FLOODING POSSIBLE.

STORM SYSTEM WILL NOT ARRIVE UNTIL AT LEAST THIS EVENING...SO
EXTENDED FLASH FLOOD WATCH INTO TONIGHT. POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
SITUATION CONSIDERING HOW WIDESPREAD FLOODING COULD BECOME.

ALSO...RIVER FLOODING ONGOING/EXPECTED TO OCCUR. THIS WILL SLOW DOWN
THE DRAINAGE PROCESS...WITH FUTURE RAIN HAVING NOWHERE TO GO. THIS
WILL INCREASE FLASH FLOOD THREAT. (46)

.LIT...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT FOR ALL OF LITTLE ROCK
       COUNTY WARNING AREA...
       ARZONES 3>7-12>16-21>25-30>34-37>47-52>57-62>69

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Johnson

When
December 16, 1:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Johnson County, Countywide
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.570, -93.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Logan

When
December 16, 1:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Logan County, Countywide
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.215, -93.716 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Yell

When
December 16, 1:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Yell County, Countywide
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.003, -93.411 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Scott

When
December 16, 1:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Scott County, Countywide
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.861, -94.063 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Montgomery

When
December 16, 1:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Montgomery County, Countywide
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.539, -93.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Polk

When
December 16, 1:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Polk County, Countywide
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.486, -94.228 (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

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5275413, 5275414, 5275415, 5275416, 5275417, 5275418.