High pressure aloft brought hot, humid conditions to Arkansas in the second half of July.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.
High pressure aloft brought hot, humid conditions to Arkansas in the second half of July.
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 20, 1:10 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 210 PM CDT SUN JUL 20 2008 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY ANOTHER STEAMY ONE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH TEMPERATURES ALREADY IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S AND HEAT INDICES APPROACHING THE CENTURY MARK IN MANY AREAS. IT APPEARS THE HOTTEST DAY IN THIS STRETCH WILL BE MONDAY BEFORE SOME CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION...ALBEIT JUST CHANCE TO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS...RETURN WITH THE BEST ODDS OF RAINFALL OVER THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE COUNTY WARNING AREA. SHORT RANGE MODELS IN GENERALLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THIS UNFOLDING SCENARIO BUT NAM STILL OUT OF PHASE WHEN COMPARED TO THE OTHER SHORT TERM MODELS. GFS BLENDED WITH THE ECMWF SEEMS TO BE A BETTER FIT THIS AFTERNOON IN SPITE OF CONTINUING FEEDBACK ISSUES BEING EXHIBITED BY THE GFS. CU FIELD DEVELOPED LATER THAN YESTERDAY AND CONVECTION HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING GOING. STILL CAN NOT RULE OUT SOMETHING ISOLATED FIRING UP DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING BUT COVERAGE NOT ENOUGH TO WARRANT A MENTION IN THE FORECAST. BROAD UPPER RIDGE REMAINS OVER THE SOUTHERN CONUS AT THIS TIME WITH STORM TRACK WELL TO THE NORTH BUT IT LOOKS LIKE SOME CHANGES ARE FORTH COMING TO THE OVERALL PATTERN. NOT MUCH CHANGE MONDAY THOUGH AS ANOTHER SCORCHER IS EXPECTED WITH WIDESPREAD MID TO UPPER 90S EXPECTED. THESE TEMPERATURES...WHEN COUPLED WITH HIGH HUMIDITY WILL PRODUCE HEAT INDICES OVER 100 FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS. NO HEADLINES NEEDED YET BUT WILL NEED TO MONITOR FOR POSSIBLE HEAT ADVISORIES. NO PRECIP EXPECTED MONDAY AS MID LEVEL HEIGHTS ARE FORECAST TO SLOWLY RISE COUPLED WITH SUBSIDENCE. I WILL CONTINUE TO GO A FEW DEGREES BELOW GUIDANCE AS MAV CONTINUES ITS WARM BIAS BUT IN GENERAL...THE NUMBERS LOOKED REASONABLE AND WERE ACCEPTED. WILL HIGHLIGHT THE HEAT INDICES IN THE HWO PRODUCT. COME MONDAY NIGHT AND INTO TUESDAY...MODELS REMAIN CONSISTENT IN DEVELOPING AN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE GREAT LAKES AS A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES ROTATE FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST INTO THE OHIO VALLEY. RIDGE AXIS BEGINS TO RETROGRADE INTO THE WESTERN PLAINS IN RESPONSE WITH NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT DEVELOPING. FLOW WILL PROVIDE LITTLE COOLING BUT IT WILL ALLOW A FRONTAL SYSTEM...CURRENTLY STRETCHING FROM NEW ENGLAND AND INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS...TO BE PUSHED SOUTH. FRONT EXPECTED TO MAKE IT INTO SOUTHERN MISSOURI BY LATE TUESDAY WITH SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIP OVER THE NORTHEAST LATE IN THE DAY. MODELS TRY TO PUSH THE FRONT AT LEAST PARTLY INTO THE STATE BUT NOT SOLD YET ON THIS SCENARIO. BOUNDARY WILL MOST LIKELY STRADDLE THE ARKANSAS/MISSOURI BORDER WEDNESDAY BEFORE EITHER LIFTING OUT OR WASHING OUT DEPENDING ON WHICH MODEL YOU BY INTO. REGARDLESS...THE BOUNDARY WILL BE A NON FACTOR BY THURSDAY. HIGHEST POPS WILL BE ACROSS THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT AND HAVE ALSO BOOSTED POPS SOMEWHAT ACROSS THE SOUTH AS TROPICAL STORM DOLLY MOVES INTO FAR SOUTHEAST TEXAS. DIURNAL CONVECTION WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY AND LEFT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY COOLER ON TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WITH INCREASED CLOUD COVER BUT STILL QUITE TOASTY TO SAY THE LEAST. EXPECTING HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID 90S AND LOWS A FEW DEGREES EITHER SIDE OF 70 WHICH ARE BOTH PRETTY CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR MID TO LATE JULY. && .LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY... HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO BE IN PLACE OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES DURING THE LONG TERM. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR NORTHWEST FLOW OVER THE FORECAST AREA. AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE IS EXPECTED FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEKEND. SEVERAL DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA...ALLOWING PRECIPITATION TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS IN THE FORECAST FOR THE ENTIRE EXTENDED PERIOD. THE BEST CHANCE WILL BE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...IN ASSOCIATION WITH DAYTIME HEATING. NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE LONG TERM. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE 90S...AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 71 96 71 94 / 10 10 10 20 CAMDEN AR 73 98 73 96 / 10 10 10 10 HARRISON AR 70 95 70 93 / 10 10 10 20 HOT SPRINGS AR 72 97 72 95 / 10 10 10 10 LITTLE ROCK AR 72 97 72 95 / 10 10 10 20 MONTICELLO AR 72 97 73 95 / 10 10 10 10 MOUNT IDA AR 72 97 72 95 / 10 10 10 10 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 71 95 70 93 / 10 10 10 20 NEWPORT AR 71 96 72 94 / 10 10 10 20 PINE BLUFF AR 72 97 73 95 / 10 10 10 10 RUSSELLVILLE AR 71 96 71 94 / 10 10 10 20 SEARCY AR 72 97 72 94 / 10 10 10 20 STUTTGART AR 72 97 72 95 / 10 10 10 20 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...56 / LONG TERM...60
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1220 PM CDT SUN JUL 20 2008 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-211000- 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- 1220 PM CDT SUN JUL 20 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND ELEVATED HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL PRODUCE HEAT INDICES NEAR 100 DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON OVER MOST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS. REMEMBER TO STAY HYDRATED AND LIMIT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO AVOID HEAT RELATED PROBLEMS. IN ADDITION TO THE HEAT...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON. WHILE BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL BE POSSIBLE...SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. PRECIPITATION WILL END AROUND SUNSET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND ELEVATED HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL PRODUCE HEAT INDICES NEAR OR ABOVE 100 DEGREES ACROSS PARTS OF ARKANSAS MONDAY. HEAT INDICES FROM NEAR 100 TO 105 DEGREES CAN BE EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS. THE HIGHEST HEAT INDICES WILL OCCUR DURING THE MID AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. WHILE THESE HEAT INDICES FALL JUST SHORT OF HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA ...IT IS STILL DANGEROUS TO OVER EXERT YOURSELF DURING THE HOTTEST TIME OF THE DAY. REMEMBER TO STAY HYDRATED AND REDUCE STRENUOUS ACTIVITY DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES AND INCREASED CLOUD COVER ON TUESDAY WILL KNOCK HEAT INDICES DOWN BUT JUST BY A FEW DEGREES. EXPECT HEAT INDICES IN THE UPPER 90S TO NEAR 100 DEGREES ONCE AGAIN OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 56
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Temperatures were in the upper 90s and the heat index was near 105 degrees when a house fire occurred in the 16000 block of West Baseline Rd. Four firefighters were overcome by heat and were transported to hospitals.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, July 2008
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: 106012.