Flash Flood, Polk
- When
- February 16, 8:00 AM CST to 9:30 AM CST
- Where
- Polk County, Countywide
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 34.486, -94.228 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Arkansas, February 16, 2001
Five to seven inches of rain was common over much of central and southern Arkansas from 02/13/2001 to 02/17/01. During the morning hours of 02/16/2001, excessive rain caused flooding of some roadways in Polk County.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
Five to seven inches of rain was common over much of central and southern Arkansas from 02/13/2001 to 02/17/01. During the morning hours of 02/16/2001, excessive rain caused flooding of some roadways in Polk County.
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 Feb 16, 3:10 AM CST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 3:10 AM CST, 4 hours 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 310 AM CST FRI FEB 16 2001 COLD AIR MAY SNEAK INTO NORTH AND WEST ZONES EARLY TODAY...SO FORECAST WILL INCLUDE POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING RAIN/SLEET BEFORE IT WARMS ENOUGH FOR RAIN LATER IN THE MORNING. SOUTHEAST SECTIONS WILL KEEP THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINS STILL AS THE LOW WILL MOVE CLOSER TO THAT AREA. FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTH ZONES TODAY. THERE WILL BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO INCLUDE SOME THUNDER WITH THE LIKELY RAIN. TEMPEATURES WILL BE TRICKY...SINCE THEY WILL DROPPING DURING THE DAY. DRY FORECAST FROM SUNDAY ON...WITH MOISTURE RETURNING FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. 32 .LIT...FLASH VFLOOD WATCH TODAY ZONES 32>34..39..41>47..52>57..62>69.
The radar
The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:58 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Tornadoes and Hail in Mississippi, February 16, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Alabama, February 16, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, February 16, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Alabama, February 16, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Louisiana, February 16, 2001
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Alabama, February 16, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, February 16, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, February 16, 2001
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, February 16, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, February 16, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, February 16, 2001
- Tornado in Georgia, February 16, 2001
More
Every storm in Arkansas in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, February 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: 5233571.