During the wee hours of the 28th, precipitation became widespread across parts of central and northeast Arkansas. Heavy to excessive rain occurred in these areas for several hours as a cold front to the west began to stall.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
During the wee hours of the 28th, precipitation became widespread across parts of central and northeast Arkansas. Heavy to excessive rain occurred in these areas for several hours as a cold front to the west began to stall.
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 28, 3:28 AM CST, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 428 AM CDT TUE APR 28 2009 .DISCUSSION... MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGE THIS MORNING CONCERNS WHERE THE SFC FRONT WILL STALL ACROSS THE STATE...AS WELL AS HOW MUCH ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL FALL. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED EARLY THIS MORNING ALONG THE SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY...WHICH WAS LOCATED FROM NE TX INTO CENTRAL AR...NE INTO S IL. SOUTHWARD PROGRESS HAS BEEN SLOW OVER THE LAST SEVERAL HOURS...BUT FRONT STILL PROGRESSING SOUTHWARD. RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN ON THE ORDER OF 1 TO 1.5 INCHES...WITH SOME LOCATIONS ACROSS NE COUNTIES SEEING OVER 3 INCHES. LIGHT WINDS AND SATURATED NEAR SURFACE LAYER HAS CAUSED AREAS OF PATCHY FOG BEHIND THIS FRONT. TEMPERATURES ACROSS CENTRAL AND S AR WERE IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOW 70S. NORTH OF THE FRONT...TEMPS WERE IN THE UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S. && .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY EXPECTING THE FRONT TO CONTINUE ITS SLOW SOUTHWARD PROGRESSION OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS BEFORE STALLING ACROSS CENTRAL AND SE AR LATER THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE FRONT FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS AS WEAK VORT MAX LIFTS OFF THE NE. PATCHY FOG WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH WINDS IN VICINITY OF THE FRONT NEARLY CALM AS WELL AS THE SATURATED SFC LAYER. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS THIS EVENING...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS NEAR 3 INCHES POSSIBLE AS THERE IS DEFINITELY PLENTY OF GULF MOISTURE AVAILABLE. WILL GO AHEAD WITH A FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR THE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL THROUGH THIS EVENING TO FALL IN SAME AREAS THAT SAW SOME HEAVY RAIN THIS MORNING. EXPECT A LULL IN PRECIP ACTIVITY OVERNIGHT BEFORE ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FORMS AS ANOTHER IMPULSE OF UPPER LEVEL ENERGY MOVES NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION...LIFTING THE FRONT BACK TO THE NORTH. UPPER FLOW WILL THEN BECOME MORE ZONAL...AND WITH THE FRONTAL POSITION EXPECTED TO BE FURTHER NORTH...BEST POPS WILL BE ACROSS N AR FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. STRENGTHENING SFC LOW OVER THE PLAINS FRIDAY AFTERNOON WILL PUT THE STATE IN THE WARM SECTOR...LOWERING POPS SLIGHTLY BEFORE INCREASING POPS ONCE AGAIN AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT SURGES SOUTH SATURDAY MORNING. EXPECTING TEMPS THROUGH THE PERIOD TO HOVER IN THE 60S AND 70S THIS AFTERNOON...AND IN THE 70S FOR THE REST OF THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. && .LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH SUNDAY LITTLE CHANGE IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST. THE UPPER ZONAL PATTERN WILL ALLOW ENERGY TO MOVE OVER THE AREA...AND AS SATURDAYS FRONTAL BOUNDARY STALLS OVER ARKANSAS...CHANCE POP REMAINS IN THE FORECAST EACH DAY. SOME VARIATIONS IN THE POP FORECAST WILL BE DUE TO THE EXACT LOCATION THE BOUNDARY STALLS. NORTHERN AR COULD BE COOLER AND DRIER IF THE BOUNDARY DRIFTS TO SOUTH AR...WHILE WETTER IF IT HOLDS MORE OVER NORTHERN AR. IF THE BOUNDARY STALLS OVER NORTHERN AR... THEN SOUTHERN AR WOULD BE MILD WITH A LOWER CHANCE OF RAIN. CENTRAL AR APPEARS TO HAVE THE BEST CHANCES OF RAIN. UNCERTAINTY IN THE EXACT LOCATION WILL BE FINE TUNED WITH LATER MODEL RUNS. OVERALL TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN AROUND NORMAL...WITH SOME VARIATIONS DUE TO CLOUDS...AMOUNT OF CONVECTION...AND THE LOCATION OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY STALLING OVER AR. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 74 61 75 62 / 70 40 60 60 CAMDEN AR 75 64 81 64 / 70 50 40 30 HARRISON AR 67 58 73 61 / 40 60 70 70 HOT SPRINGS AR 74 64 76 64 / 70 50 60 60 LITTLE ROCK AR 75 64 78 63 / 70 40 50 50 MONTICELLO AR 76 65 80 64 / 70 50 40 30 MOUNT IDA AR 73 63 75 63 / 60 50 60 60 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 70 58 74 62 / 50 60 70 70 NEWPORT AR 75 62 76 63 / 70 40 60 50 PINE BLUFF AR 77 64 79 64 / 70 50 40 40 RUSSELLVILLE AR 76 63 75 62 / 50 50 60 60 SEARCY AR 75 62 77 63 / 70 40 60 60 STUTTGART AR 76 64 78 64 / 70 50 40 40 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR ARKANSAS-BRADLEY- CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW- FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-INDEPENDENCE-IZARD- JACKSON-JEFFERSON-LINCOLN-LONOKE-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-OUACHITA- PERRY-PIKE-PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE- WOODRUFF. && SHORT TERM...62 / LONG TERM...59
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 500 AM CDT TUE APR 28 2009 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-291015- 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- 500 AM CDT TUE APR 28 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PERIODS OF RAIN TODAY AND TONIGHT MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL BE IN AFFECT FOR MUCH OF ARKANSAS TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...DUE TO THE EXPECTED PERIODS OF RAIN. A COLD FRONT OVER NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS MORNING IS EXPECTED TO SAG TO CENTRAL ARKANSAS TODAY...AND WITH SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT...UPPER LEVEL ENERGY WILL MOVE OVER THE REGION AND DEVELOP SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WITH SOME HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE. LOCALIZED FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT OVER MUCH OF THE STATE. AN ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORM MAY BE SEEN...THE OVERALL THREAT WILL BE LOW. SOME RISES ARE EXPECTED IN THE OUACHITA RIVER BASIN AND ITS TRIBUTARIES IN WESTERN AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY LATER TUESDAY TO WEDNESDAY...THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL OVER CENTRAL ARKANSAS...AND BE THE FOCUS AS ADDITIONAL UPPER LEVEL ENERGY MOVES OVER THE STATE. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WITH SOME HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE...ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THEN THE OVERALL CHANCES ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER A BIT OVER THE WEEKEND. THE EXACT LOCATIONS OF THE HEAVIEST RAIN WILL BE A BIT HARD TO PINE DOWN...BUT LOCALIZED FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES THROUGH FRIDAY WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH ISOLATED HEAVIER AMOUNTS. ISOLATED STRONG STORMS MAY BE SEEN...BUT THE OVERALL SEVERE THREAT WILL BE LOW. ALSO...DUE TO THE HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL...SOME SIGNIFICANT RISES WILL BE SEEN OVER THE OUACHITA RIVER BASIN AND ITS TRIBUTARIES IN WESTERN AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS. WHILE ANY CRESTS CANNOT BE QUANTIFIED AT THIS TIME...PEOPLE WITH PROPERTY...LIVESTOCK...AND OTHER INTERESTS ALONG THE SALINE...LITTLE MISSOURI...AND OUACHITA RIVERS SHOULD MONITOR RIVER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IF NEEDED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 59
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:59 UTC.
6 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flooding occurred on numerous county roads and on parts of Arkansas Highway 157. A vehicle was stranded on Sears and Roebuck Road south of Higginson.
Flooding occurred over Arkansas Highway 31. Flooding also occurred on U.S. Highway 70 near Kerr and near Dogwood Road.
Barricades were placed at Arkansas Highway 16 and Blakey Road due to flooding.
Barricades were placed on Arkansas Highway 34 East due to flooding.
Street flooding was reported in Batesville. Water was up to the door handles on cars.
Portions of Mt. Carmel Road were flooded. Two houses were flooded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, April 2009
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: 159049, 159039, 159050, 159052, 159040, 159041.