Arkansas, 2002

Lightning Strike in Arkansas, July 17, 2002

July 17, 2002 · NWS LZK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning struck some conduit containing a power line, with the conduit split. Fire was sent through the main electrical line into a nearby home, with flames spreading quickly through the upper level of the structure.

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.

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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.

Lightning struck some conduit containing a power line, with the conduit split. Fire was sent through the main electrical line into a nearby home, with flames spreading quickly through the upper level of the structure.

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 Jul 17, 2:32 PM CST, 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 17, 2:32 PM CST, 58 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
332 PM CDT WED JUL 17 2002

PROBLEMS TODAY CONTINUE TO BE CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION.

KLZK RADAR SHOWS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS
MUCH OF ARKANSAS. SATELLITE PICTURES SHOW DISSIPATING CLOUDS ACROSS
SOUTH ARKANSAS. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS DRY AIR MOVING NORTH INTO
TEXAS AND LOUISIANA.

HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN U.S. CONTINUES TO TRY TO WORK
NORTH AND IS PUSHING THE PRECIPITATION NORTHWARD. ABUNDANT MOISTURE
CONTINUES TO STREAM NORTHEAST FROM TEXAS...AROUND THE HIGH...AND
INTO ARKANSAS. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW IN MISSOURI WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST
INTO ARKANSAS THURSDAY NIGHT AND WILL GIVE NORTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE
CWFA THE BEST CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. MODELS ARE IN
SIMILAR AGREEMENT BUT BELIEVE THE AVN IS OVERDONE A BIT WITH THE
MOISTURE. WILL USE A BLEND OF ETA AND AVN AS FAR AS QPF IS
CONCERNED. THIS NEXT SYSTEM WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA.
SEVERAL SHORT WAVES WILL COME ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE AREA
SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

WITH PLENTY OF CLOUDS AROUND THURSDAY...WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES IN
THE 80S. FWC LOW TEMPERATURES LOOK GOOD BUT WENT COOLER ON THE
HIGHS.

.LZK...NONE.

51

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Clark

When
July 17, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Clark County, Arkadelphia
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.051, -93.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, July 2002

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: 5311602.