Arkansas, 2009

Flash Flood in Arkansas, October 9, 2009

October 9, 2009 · NWS MEG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A slow moving cold front tracked across the Mid-South on October 9th. Numerous showers and thunderstorms ahead of the front produced some flash flooding in portions of northeast Arkansas.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • 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
$1,000
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 MEG wrote it up.

A slow moving cold front tracked across the Mid-South on October 9th. Numerous showers and thunderstorms ahead of the front produced some flash flooding in portions of northeast Arkansas.

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 Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 9, 3:21 AM CST, 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 9, 3:21 AM CST, 54 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 9, 3:47 AM CST, 28 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
447 AM CDT FRI OCT 9 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>092-101200-
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-
447 AM CDT FRI OCT 9 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS...
THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

HEAVY RAINFALL OF 1 TO 4 INCHES MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING ACROSS
PARTS OF THE MIDSOUTH THROUGH 7 PM. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN
EFFECT FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A CLARKSDALE MISSISSIPPI TO
IUKA MISSISSIPPI LINE.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF
THE MIDSOUTH TODAY...BEFORE 10 AM NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40...AND
BETWEEN 8 AM AND 7 PM SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40. THE MAIN HAZARD WILL
BE ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND OF 60 MPH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG A STATIONARY FRONT MAY CAUSE
FLOODING ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40 LATE SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY THROUGH 10 AM NORTH OF
INTERSTATE 40...AND BETWEEN 8 PM AND 7 PM SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40.

PLEASE RELAY ANY REPORTS OF FLOODING TODAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN MEMPHIS.

MBS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 9, 2:49 AM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Oct 9, 3:06 AM CST, 1 hour 9 minutes before
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The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:12 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Randolph

When
October 9, 4:15 AM CST to 5:15 AM CST
Where
Randolph County, 2 mi WSW of Pocahontas to 2 mi SSE of Pocahontas
Cause
Heavy Rain
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.259, -91.003

A bridge off Millcreek Road had water covering it. Over three inches of rain fell in the area over several hours.

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

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, October 2009

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 198919.