Flash Flooding in Arkansas, June 12, 2003

Name: Flash Flooding in Arkansas, June 12, 2003
Start: 2003-06-12T01:10
End: 2003-06-12T06:00
Location: Arkansas

June 12, 2003 · NWS LZK · 3 events in 1 county or zone

Heavy rains caused flash flooding over parts of Clark County. A number of homes and businesses were flooded in Arkadelphia and Gurdon.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 3

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.

Heavy rains caused flash flooding over parts of Clark County. A number of homes and businesses were flooded in Arkadelphia and Gurdon. Several families had to be evacuated from their homes in Gurdon. Flooding was also reported along Interstate 30 west of Gurdon. State Highway 8 was washed out near Amity.

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 Jun 11, 10:20 PM CST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 11, 10:20 PM CST, 2 hours 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1120 PM CDT WED JUN 11 2003

QUICK UPDATE EARLIER TO INCREASE POPS OVER THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
SECTIONS FOR OVERNIGHT. MENTIONED POSSIBLITY OF HEAVY RAINFALL IN
THOSE AREAS ALSO. REST OF PREVIOUS FORECAST ON TRACK.

.LZK...NONE.

22

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 11, 1:30 PM CST, 11 hours 40 minutes before

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-121000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
230 PM CDT WED JUN 11 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING
HOURS ACROSS SOUTHERN ARKANSAS. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD BRIEFLY
REACH SEVERE LEVELS.

A FRONTAL SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO STALL NEAR THE ARKANSAS AND MISSOURI
BORDER TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP
NEAR THE FRONT...WITH PRECIPITATION MAINLY AFFECTING THE NORTHERN
HALF OF THE STATE. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MOST ACTIVE AFTER
MIDNIGHT...WITH A FEW STORMS POSSIBLY BECOMING SEVERE.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. THE
ATMOSPHERE IS VERY MOIST...AND THIS WILL ALLOW STORMS TO PRODUCE
RAINFALL MORE EFFICIENTLY. ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN MAY OCCUR IN
LESS THAN AN HOUR IN SOME CASES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THIS PATTERN OF UNSETTLED WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR
SEVERAL MORE DAYS. THE STALLED FRONT NEAR THE ARKANSAS AND MISSOURI
BORDER WILL MEANDER FOR COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE MOVING TO THE NORTH.
YET ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE PLAINS OVER THE
WEEKEND BEFORE STALLING ACROSS THE REGION. GIVEN THE PATTERN...
CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS ARE MENTIONED IN THE FORECAST THROUGH
EARLY NEXT WEEK.

SPOTTY SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED IN THE COMING DAYS...WITH
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREATS. LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN IS ALSO LIKELY...WITH FLASH FLOODING POSSIBLE IN SOME AREAS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT...WITH SEVERE WEATHER
POSSIBLE MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF ARKANSAS.

44

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 11, 7:11 PM CST, 5 hours 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK, AR
811 PM CDT WED JUN 11 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0700 PM    DUMAS                     AR   WIND DAMAGE
06/11/03   DESHA                          PART OF THE ROOF OF A
                                          COTTON WAREHOUSE BLOWN OFF.
                                          PART OF THE ROOF OF A
                                          SCHOOL BLOWN OFF. TREES
                                          BLOWN DOWN. REPORTED BY
                                          STORM SPOTTER.

22

Local storm report, Jun 11, 8:15 PM CST, 4 hours 55 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK, AR
915 PM CDT WED JUN 11 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0700 PM    2 E CORNERVILLE           AR   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/03   LINCOLN                        REPORTED BY
                                          STORM SPOTTER

22

Local storm report, Jun 11, 8:47 PM CST, 4 hours 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
947 PM CDT WED JUN 11 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0928 PM    LITTLE ROCK               AR   .88 INCH HAIL
06/11/03   PULASKI                        HAIL TO NICKEL SIZE NEAR
                                          I-30 AND GEYER SPRINGS RD.
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0933 PM    LITTLE ROCK               AR   1.75 INCH HAIL
06/11/03   PULASKI                        HAIL TO GOLF BALL SIZE ON
                                          ARCH STREET PIKE. REPORTED
                                          BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0937 PM    LITTLE ROCK               AR   1.50 INCH HAIL
06/11/03   PULASKI                        HAIL TO THE SIZE OF PING
                                          PONG BALLS AT CHICOT RD.
                                          AND MABELVALE CUTOFF.
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

28

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Clark

When: June 12, 1:10 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Clark County, Gurdon
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.051, -93.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Clark

When: June 12, 2:00 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Clark County, Arkadelphia
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.051, -93.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Clark

When: June 12, 2:00 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Clark County, Amity
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 34.051, -93.176 (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

Every storm in Arkansas in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, June 2003

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: 5362919, 5362920, 5362921.