Arkansas, 2001

Flash Flood in Arkansas, February 16, 2001

February 16, 2001 · NWS LZK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

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 afternoon hours of 02/16/2001, excessive rain caused flooding of some roadways in Drew 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 afternoon hours of 02/16/2001, excessive rain caused flooding of some roadways in Drew County. In some cases, roads had to be barricaded to prevent traffic from driving through high water.

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, 10:45 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 10:45 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1045 AM CST FRI FEB 16 2001

PREVIOUS FORECAST PRETTY MUCH IN LINE. AFTER A LOOK AT NEW ETA AND
NGM...DECIDED TO PUT SMALL CHANCES OF RAIN OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
ARKANSAS FOR EARLY TONIGHT. EVERYTHING ELSE OKAY.  (22)

.LIT...FREEZING RAIN ADVY THRU EARLY AFTERNOON EXTREME NORTH...ZONES
       3>6-12-13
       FLASH FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON ZONES 32>34-39-41>47-   4
       52>57-62>69

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 147 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Drew

When
February 16, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Drew County, Countywide
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
33.589, -91.720 (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, 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: 5233577.