Flash Flood in Arkansas, April 23, 2004

Name: Flash Flood in Arkansas, April 23, 2004
Start: 2004-04-23T02:00
End: 2004-04-23T02:00
Location: Arkansas

April 23, 2004 · NWS LZK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy to excessive rain partially washed out several county road bridges and washed away some construction site materials in Izard 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.

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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.

Heavy to excessive rain partially washed out several county road bridges and washed away some construction site materials in Izard 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 Apr 22, 9:00 PM CST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 22, 9:00 PM CST, 5 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1000 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

.DISCUSSION...
UPDATE TO CANCEL TORNADO WATCH AND FOR ISSUE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE MAIN CONCERNS
NOW...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN LATER TONIGHT. ALONG AND NORTH OF THE
BOUNDARY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS WILL BE THE AREA OF CONVECTION
OVERNIGHT.
&&

.LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 600 AM
CDT FRIDAY FOR ZONES ARZ003>007...ARZ012>016...ARZ021>025...
ARZ030>034 ...ARZ037>039...ARZ043>047.

&&

58

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 22, 7:25 PM CST, 6 hours 35 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
825 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-231000-
ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-
CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-
INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE-
MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-
PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE-
WOODRUFF-YELL-
825 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

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

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF THE
NORTHERN ARKANSAS TONIGHT.

LOW PRESSURE ALOFT WILL AFFECT ARKANSAS OVERNIGHT. THE STORM SYSTEM
WILL INTERACT WITH A STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER NORTHERN
ARKANSAS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP
THURSDAY EVENING...MAINLY OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SECTIONS.
SEVERE STORMS WILL OCCUR OVER THE NORTH WITH ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS
POSSIBLE OVER CENTRAL ARKANSAS. THE MAIN THREATS OVER THE NORTH WILL
BE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES. OVER CENTRAL
ARKANSAS...THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLY DAMAGING
WINDS.

AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES...THE SEVERE WEATHER EVENT WILL GRADUALLY
EVOLVE INTO MORE OF A HEAVY RAIN EVENT. PRECIPITATION WILL TEND TO
FOCUS ALONG THE STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY. ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN
WILL BE COMMON...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

THE STORMS THAT DEVELOP TONIGHT WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH FRIDAY
MORNING. THERE WILL BE A LULL FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WITH MORE STORMS IN
THE FORECAST FRIDAY NIGHT.

THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL NOT CHANGE THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY. A
FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN STALLED ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS. GIVEN
THIS...STORMS THAT DEVELOP THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK WILL BE MOST
LIKELY ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE.

SEVERE WEATHER WILL REMAIN A POSSIBILITY...WITH AREAS OF HEAVY TO
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. FLASH FLOODING MAY OCCUR IN SOME AREAS.

THE PATTERN WILL FINALLY CHANGE THIS WEEKEND. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH
THROUGH THE REGION FROM THE WEST SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...WITH
COOLER AND DRIER AIR EXPECTED TO FOLLOW BY MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE REQUIRED TONIGHT OVER PARTS OF NORTHERN
ARKANSAS.

22

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 22, 9:54 PM CST, 4 hours 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1054 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1030 PM     HAIL             OARK                    35.68N 93.58W
04/22/2004  1.75 INCH        JOHNSON            AR   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

22

Local storm report, Apr 22, 10:02 PM CST, 3 hours 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1102 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1055 PM     FLASH FLOOD      HARRISON                36.24N 93.12W
04/22/2004                   BOONE              AR   BROADCAST MEDIA

            REPORTS OF WATER ON ROADWAYS IN THE HARRISON AREA AND
            ALSO PARTS OF SOUTHERN BOONE COUNTY. SOME FLOODING
            REPORTED ON U.S. HIGHWAY 65 SOUTH OF HARRISON.

&&

22

Local storm report, Apr 22, 10:19 PM CST, 3 hours 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1119 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1055 PM     HAIL             MOUNTAIN HOME           36.34N 92.38W
04/22/2004  1.25 INCH        BAXTER             AR   BROADCAST MEDIA

&&

22

Local storm report, Apr 22, 11:49 PM CST, 2 hours 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1249 AM CDT FRI APR 23 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1245 AM     HAIL             GUION                   35.93N 91.94W
04/23/2004  0.75 INCH        IZARD              AR   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

22

Local storm report, Apr 23, 1:15 AM CST, 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
215 AM CDT FRI APR 23 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1255 AM     FLASH FLOOD      JASPER                  36.01N 93.19W
04/23/2004                   NEWTON             AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            COUNTY ROADS AND LOW WATER CROSSINGS FLOODED JUST SOUTH
            OF JASPER. ONE PERSON COULD NOT MAKE IT HOME AND WAS
            FORCED TO TURN BACK.

&&

22

Local storm report, Apr 23, 1:25 AM CST, 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
225 AM CDT FRI APR 23 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0100 AM     FLASH FLOOD      MOUNTAIN HOME           36.34N 92.38W
04/23/2004                   BAXTER             AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            LOW WATER CROSSINGS IN MANY PARTS OF THE COUNTY FLOODED.
            SOME COUNTY ROADS FLOODED.

&&

22

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 143 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Izard

When: April 23, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Izard County, Countywide
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 36.095, -91.913 (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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, April 2004

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: 5393263.