A semi-tropical low pressure system tracked across the Mid South during the late afternoon and evening of May 24, 2009 resulting in numerous showers and thunderstorms across Eastern Arkansas. Some of these storms produced heavy rain which resulted in flash flooding.
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 MEG wrote it up.
A semi-tropical low pressure system tracked across the Mid South during the late afternoon and evening of May 24, 2009 resulting in numerous showers and thunderstorms across Eastern Arkansas. Some of these storms produced heavy rain which resulted in flash flooding.
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 Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 24, 2:29 PM CST, 1 hour 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 329 PM CDT SUN MAY 24 2009 .DISCUSSION... SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO SWIRL AROUND A TROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER EAST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AS THIS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM VERY SLOWLY MOVES OFF TO THE WEST. CONTINUED WITH HIGH POPS FOR THIS EVENING AS THE SURFACE LOW WILL BE NEARBY ALONG WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE REMAINING OVER THE AREA. SURFACE LOW WILL BE SITUATED ACROSS CENTRAL ARKANSAS ON MONDAY AS THE MIDSOUTH REMAINS IN A MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE BEST CHANCES ACROSS NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. CONVECTION SHOULD DIE OFF MONDAY NIGHT ESPECIALLY AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN WILL REMAIN OVER THE MIDSOUTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS MAINLY DIURNAL CONVECTION CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE AREA. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID 80S. NIGHTS WILL GENERALLY BE WARM AND MUGGY WITH LOWS NEAR 70 DEGREES. THE ABOVE MENTIONED SURFACE LOW WILL FINALLY CLEAR THE REGION AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE MIDSOUTH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL ACCOMPANY THIS COLD FRONT HELPING TO PUSH THIS FRONT THROUGH MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY THURSDAY. THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON THURSDAY ALONG THE FRONT BEFORE HIGH PRESSURE IS ABLE TO MOVE INTO THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT IN KEEPING NEXT WEEKEND DRY AS HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE OHIO VALLEY AND GREAT LAKES AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SEASONABLE WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID 80S AND LOWS IN THE 60S DURING THIS TIME FRAME. KNS && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS TROPICAL SURFACE LOW WAS CENTERED ABOUT 90NM SOUTHWEST OF KMEM AT 17Z...DRIVING NORTHWEST AROUND 10KTS. THE POSITION OF THE LOW PUTS THE MIDSOUTH IN THE WARM SECTOR THIS AFTERNOON. 12Z NAM MODEL CONTINUES TO PLACE LOW TO MODERATE INSTABILITY OVER NORTH MS... THROUGH SOUTHWEST TN... INTO NORTHEAST AR THROUGH 00Z. TAFS WERE UPDATED EARLIER FOR ADDITION OF THUNDER AND ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE FOR THE 18Z SCHEDULED ISSUANCE. LOW MVFR AND IFR CIGS APPEAR IN STORE FOR LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT PERIODS...THROUGH THE GFS LAMP GUIDANCE MAY BE OVERDONE JUST A BIT. CIGS SHOULD IMPROVE TO SOLID MVFR BY AROUND 15Z MONDAY. PWB && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 69 81 69 84 / 70 80 50 60 MKL 68 80 68 83 / 70 80 40 60 JBR 67 80 67 83 / 90 90 60 60 TUP 68 82 68 84 / 50 70 30 60 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 351 PM CDT SUN MAY 24 2009 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-252300- ALCORN-BENTON MS-CALHOUN-CARROLL-CHESTER-CHICKASAW-CLAY-COAHOMA- CRAIGHEAD-CRITTENDEN-CROCKETT-CROSS-DESOTO-DECATUR-DUNKLIN-DYER- FAYETTE-GIBSON-GREENE-HARDEMAN-HARDIN-HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-HENRY- ITAWAMBA-LAFAYETTE-LAKE-LAUDERDALE-LAWRENCE-LEE AR-LEE MS-MADISON- MARSHALL-MCNAIRY-MISSISSIPPI-MONROE-OBION-PANOLA-PEMISCOT- PHILLIPS-POINSETT-PONTOTOC-PRENTISS-QUITMAN-RANDOLPH-SHELBY- ST. FRANCIS-TALLAHATCHIE-TATE-TIPPAH-TIPTON-TISHOMINGO-TUNICA- UNION-WEAKLEY-YALOBUSHA- 351 PM CDT SUN MAY 24 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH THROUGH 10 PM CDT. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARD. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND LOCALIZED FLOODING...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...AND PEA SIZE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:36 UTC.
5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in the city of Jonesboro. Many streets were flooded across the city.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Lake City. Several streets were flooded throughout the city.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in northern parts of Jonesboro in Eastern Arkansas. A boy was swept into a drainage ditch near Burke Avenue and Vine Street and was killed. Several homes were flooded along Burke Avenue and North Patrick Street.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding across Northern Craighead County in Eastern Arkansas. County roads 785, 791 and 792 along with Highway 49 were flooded. A sport utility vehicle was pulling into a flooded driveway off county road 785, which had a bridge over a creek, and was swept downstream. At least 2 feet of water covered the bridge. The SUV was swept 100 yards downstream. A portion of the bridge was washed out. Two people inside the SUV were killed.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding along Highway 358 southwest of Paragould. A large culvert was washed out making the road impassable.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Craighead | 2009-05-24 | 14 | Male | Other | Direct |
| Flash Flood, Craighead | 2009-05-24 | 48 | Male | Other | Direct |
| Flash Flood, Craighead | 2009-05-24 | 51 | Female | Other | Direct |
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, May 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: 175080, 175084, 175115, 175089, 175132.