Flash Flood in Arkansas, September 9, 2001

Name: Flash Flood in Arkansas, September 9, 2001
Start: 2001-09-09T22:30
End: 2001-09-09T22:30
Location: Arkansas

September 9, 2001 · NWS LZK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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: $300,000
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 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 Sep 9, 9:24 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 9, 9:24 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1024 PM CDT SUN SEP 9 2001

NEXT ZONE UPDATE WILL BE ISSUED AT 1030 PM TO ACCOUNT FOR THE
CONTINUING CLEARING TREND...WHICH IS PROCEEDING AS EXPECTED.

.LIT...NONE.

54

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:30 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Polk

When: September 9, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Polk County, Southeast Portion
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 34.486, -94.228 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding across a large part of southeast Polk County. Several roads were flooded, with county roads 61, 67, 69, and 664 washed out. At least a dozen bridges were washed out as well. People were stranded in campgrounds due to the bridge and road washouts. Also, a pontoon boat was washed out of a lake, over a small dam, and ended up in a county road.

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, September 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: 5269613.