Afternoon heating and lots of moisture were enough to trigger hit and miss showers and thunderstorms on the 17th.
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.
Afternoon heating and lots of moisture were enough to trigger hit and miss showers and thunderstorms on the 17th.
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 Aug 17, 1:25 PM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 225 PM CDT MON AUG 17 2009 .DISCUSSION... AREA OF CONVECTION...DUE TO OUTFLOW...OVER NORTHWEST AR GRADUALLY MOVING SOUTHEAST AND HAVE UPDATED FORECAST TO UP POPS OVER NORTHWEST PARTS OF THE CWA. SLIGHT CHANCES OF CONVECTION EXPECTED OVER REST OF STATE THIS EVENING. STILL UNCERTAIN HOW FAR NW CONVECTION WILL DRIFT SOUTHEAST...BUT EXPECT AT LEAST CHANCE TO SLIGHT CHANCES OVER NORTHWEST PARTS. A PULSE STORM MAY BE SEEN WITH MAIN THREATS HAIL AND WIND. AFTERNOON HEATING...AND IN PLACE MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE MAY BE FUELED BY CONVECTION. OTHERWISE...AT THE SURFACE...STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY WELL NORTH OVER KS TO NORTHERN MO...WHILE THE REMNANTS OF CLAUDETTE WELL TO THE SOUTHWEST. THESE TWO FEATURES WILL HAVE A GREATER AFFECT ON THE WEATHER OVER AR ON TUESDAY. UPPER SHORTWAVE MOVING ALONG THE BOUNDARY AND HELPING DEVELOP CONVECTION. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT WILL NEED CHANCE POPS IN THE EVENING PERIOD OVER FAR NW AR...WHILE SLIGHT CHANCE REST OF CWA. AFTER SUNSET...CONVECTION WILL GRADUALLY DISSIPATE. KEPT A SLIGHT CHANCE GOING MUCH OF OVERNIGHT WITH EXPECTED SHORT WAVE ENERGY MOVING IN THE UPPER FLOW...AND SOME UNCERTAIN INFLUENCE OF THE REMNANTS OF CLAUDETTE. ON TUESDAY...THE BOUNDARY EXPECTED TO SAG A BIT MORE SOUTH...WHILE TROPICAL LOW PUSHING N TO NW TO NEAR WESTERN TN. IN PLACE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS MOIST AND UNSTABLE...AND WITH SOME AFTERNOON HEATING...CONVECTION WILL BE MORE WIDESPREAD. TUESDAY NIGHT...KEPT CURRENT SLIGHT TO CHANCE POP WITH PROXIMITY OF SYSTEM NEAR AR...WHILE SHORTWAVE ENERGY AGAIN MOVES THROUGH THE MEAN WEST TO EAST FLOW OVER OK...MO AND PARTS OF AR. A BIT OF A LULL TUESDAY NIGHT...BUT ON WEDNESDAY...AGAIN CHANCE POPS DUE TO SHORTWAVE ENERGY AND THE APPROACHING FRONT. THE REMNANTS OF CLAUDETTE SHOULD HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE AREA TO THE NORTHEAST. THURSDAY...A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO DRIFT INTO AR...AND GRADUALLY PUSHING INTO AND TO THE SOUTH. CHANCE CONVECTION IS IN THE FORECAST. OVERALL TEMPS AROUND NORMAL...A BIT LOWER IN AND AROUND CONVECTION. OVERALL SEVERE STORM THREAT IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN LOW...WITH ONLY ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS EXPECTED. COOLER LATE IN THE WEEK BEHIND THE FRONT. && .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY LARGE UPPER TROUGH/CLOSED LOW WILL BE OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION...AND WILL ALLOW COLD FRONT TO MOVE SOUTH OF THE STATE. RAIN CHANCES WILL REMAIN IN THE FORECAST FOR FRIDAY...WITH DRY WEATHER FOR THE REST OF THE FORECAST. NORTHWEST FLOW WILL BRING COOLER AND DRIER AIR INTO THE STATE...WITH TEMPERATURES AT OR JUST BELOW NORMAL. MODELS ARE HINTING AT ANOTHER FRONT LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY...BUT DID NOT INCLUDE ANY PRECIP AT THIS TIME. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 71 91 71 90 / 20 30 30 30 CAMDEN AR 72 92 72 93 / 20 30 30 30 HARRISON AR 70 88 69 89 / 30 30 30 30 HOT SPRINGS AR 71 93 71 93 / 20 30 30 30 LITTLE ROCK AR 73 93 73 92 / 20 30 30 30 MONTICELLO AR 73 91 73 92 / 20 30 30 30 MOUNT IDA AR 71 93 71 93 / 20 30 30 30 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 70 89 69 89 / 30 30 30 30 NEWPORT AR 73 91 72 90 / 20 30 30 30 PINE BLUFF AR 73 92 73 92 / 20 30 30 30 RUSSELLVILLE AR 72 91 71 91 / 30 30 30 30 SEARCY AR 72 91 72 91 / 20 30 30 30 STUTTGART AR 74 92 73 92 / 20 30 30 30 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...59 / LONG TERM...58
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 330 PM CDT MON AUG 17 2009 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-181000- 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- 330 PM CDT MON AUG 17 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE STATE WITH THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION ACROSS THE NORTH. THE STORMS ACROSS THE NORTH ARE DEVELOPING ALONG AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM PREVIOUS STORMS THAT DEVELOPED LAST NIGHT OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THE STORMS ELSEWHERE ARE DEVELOPING IN A MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE...AIDED BY THE HEAT OF THE DAY. SOME STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG...POSSIBLY SEVERE WITH THE BEST CHANCES OVER THE NORTH. HOWEVER...NO WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. THE MAIN THREATS WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE HAIL AND HIGH WINDS. LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AS ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BE SLOW MOVING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO BRING INCREASING MOISTURE TO ARKANSAS AND A CHANCE OF MOSTLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS... THROUGH MUCH OF THE WORK WEEK. THE CHANCE FOR RAIN WILL INCREASE AS A COLD FRONT STALLS IN MISSOURI...AND SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. THE FRONT SHOULD MOVE THROUGH ARKANSAS FRIDAY...BRINGING INCREASED CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WITH POTENTIAL FOR SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS RETURNING. DRY WEATHER WILL RETURN THIS COMING WEEKEND AS THE COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTH INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO...WITH RELATIVELY COOLER AND DRIER AIR CONTINUING TO FILTER IN FROM THE NORTH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 62
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 236 PM CDT MON AUG 17 2009 ARZ003-172035- BOONE- 236 PM CDT MON AUG 17 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR BOONE COUNTY UNTIL 335 PM CDT... AT 235 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF OMAHA...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. SMALL HAIL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAIN ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. FREQUENT...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. IF ON OR NEAR BULL SHOALS...GET OUT OF THE WATER AND MOVE INDOORS OR INSIDE A VEHICLE. REMEMBER...LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE OUT TO 15 MILES FROM THE PARENT THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER NOW. DONT BE CAUGHT ON THE WATER IN A THUNDERSTORM 59
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 323 PM CDT MON AUG 17 2009 ARZ003-012-172055- BOONE-NEWTON- 323 PM CDT MON AUG 17 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR BOONE AND NEWTON COUNTIES UNTIL 355 PM CDT... AT 323 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR LOST VALLEY STATE PARK...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. AREAS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE JASPER. FREQUENT...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. 56
The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 43 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:29 UTC.
1 lightning, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a home on Second Street, melting two attic wind turbines and starting a small fire.
Street flooding occurred on Arkansas Highway 10.
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, August 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: 188814, 185740.