An upper level disturbance moved through the region on September 21. The disturbance produced some thunderstorms which produced severe weather and flash flooding in parts of east Arkansas.
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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.
An upper level disturbance moved through the region on September 21. The disturbance produced some thunderstorms which produced severe weather and flash flooding in parts of east Arkansas.
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 Sep 21, 1:42 PM CST, 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 242 PM CDT MON SEP 21 2009 .DISCUSSION... CURRENTLY...THE WEATHER ACROSS THE MID SOUTH IS DIVIDED INTO TWO DIFFERENT SECTIONS. ACROSS NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI DEEPER MOISTURE COMBINED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE HAS RESULTED IN CLOUDY SKIES AND NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. TEMPS ACROSS NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI HAVE BEEN STUCK IN THE 70S. ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE MID SOUTH SKIES HAVE SCATTERED OUT AND TEMPS HAVE CLIMBED INTO THE LOWER IN MID 80S RESULTING IN AN MODERATELY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WITH LIFTED INDEX VALUES OF -3C TO -5C AND SBCAPES AROUND 2000 J/KG. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS MUCH OF THE MID SOUTH. THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...EXPECT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DISSIPATE WITH LOSS OF HEATING THIS EVENING. LAPSE RATES ARE FAIRLY WEAK SO EXPECT STORMS THIS EVENING TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS THOUGH A COUPLE OF THESE STORMS COULD BE STRONG WITH GUSTY WINDS. ANY STORM THAT DOES DEVELOP COULD DROP A QUICK 2 INCHES IN LESS THAN AN HOUR CAUSING SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING OF LOW LYING OR FLOOD PRONE AREAS. THE REMAINDER OF THE OVERNIGHT HOURS SHOULD BE FAIRLY QUIET WITH PATCHY FOG AND LOW CLOUDS POSSIBLE AFTER MIDNIGHT DUE TO ALL THE RECENT RAINS AND SATURATED GROUND. TEMPS WILL REMAIN FAIRLY MILD WITH READINGS IN UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S IN MEMPHIS. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...A DEEP 500 MB UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE INTO THE WESTERN PLAINS BY TUESDAY MORNING AND REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS LATE TONIGHT AND SLOWLY EDGE EAST THROUGH WEDNESDAY BECOMING BASICALLY STATIONARY OVER ARKANSAS. AS A RESULT EXPECT MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MID SOUTH WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING. A FEW STORMS COULD ALSO BE STRONG WITH GUSTY WINDS SINCE THE AIRMASS WILL BE FAIRLY UNSTABLE WITH LIFTED INDEX VALUES OF -4C TO -6C AND SBCAPES AROUND 2000 J/KG. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE ABOUT NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...IN THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 80...THOUGH THE HUMIDITY WILL BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL. WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...THE 500 MB LOW REMAINS STATIONARY OVER THE WESTERN PLAINS ON THURSDAY WHILE THE FRONT ACROSS ARKANSAS WEAKENS AND BASICALLY FALLS APART AS SOME WEAK UPPER LEVEL RIDGING IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE MID SOUTH. AS A RESULT AREAL COVERAGE SHOULD LESSEN SOME DURING THIS TIME FRAME AND WILL GO 30-40 POPS. FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SEEM TO BE IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH TRANSITIONING FROM A BLOCKING PATTERN TO A MORE PROGRESSIVE PATTERN THIS WEEKEND. THE CLOSED LOW IS FORECAST TO MOVE EAST FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND DEVELOP INTO A FULL LATITUDE TROF ACROSS THE EASTERN U.S. ON SUNDAY. IF THIS FORECAST HOLDS THEN EXPECT PRECIP CHANCES AND THE HUMID WEATHER FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH DRIER AND LESS HUMID WEATHER FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. SJM && .AVIATION... SCATTERED MVFR CEILINGS SHOULD CONTINUE TO IMPROVE TO VFR OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. THEN VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH THIS EVENING. WARM...MOIST...AND INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL LIKELY SUPPORT REDEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. HAVE ADDED VCTS TO ALL SITES TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS POSSIBILITY. ALSO INCLUDED TEMPO IN TUP FOR LIGHT RAIN AS ONGOING PRECIP SHIELD IS GETTING CLOSER TO THE SITE. SKIES WILL CLEAR TEMPORARILY THIS EVENING BEFORE LOW CLOUDS AND AREAS OF DENSE FOG REDEVELOPS LATER TONIGHT WITH VLIFR VISIBILITIES POSSIBLE MAINLY AFTER 09Z THROUGH 13Z TUESDAY MORNING. LOW CLOUDS WILL BE SLOW TO CLEAR OFF ON TUESDAY MORNING. JLH && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 71 84 71 84 / 20 60 50 60 MKL 69 84 68 83 / 20 50 40 50 JBR 68 82 66 81 / 30 70 50 60 TUP 69 85 69 86 / 30 50 30 50 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 245 PM CDT MON SEP 21 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>092-221100- 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- 245 PM CDT MON SEP 21 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 ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE MID SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING BEFORE DISSIPATING AROUND SUNSET. RAIN AMOUNTS NEAR 2 INCHES IN JUST ONE HOUR ARE POSSIBLE IN A FEW LOCATIONS. AS A RESULT...LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY WITH THE GROUND SATURATED FROM THE RECENT VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. A FEW STRONG STORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A NORTH TO SOUTH ORIENTED COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO STALL ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF ARKANSAS TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY BEFORE GRADUALLY WEAKENING BY THURSDAY. THIS MAY LEAD TO ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE MID SOUTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. A FEW STRONG STORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTERS...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN MEMPHIS. SJM
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:00 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Several roads and parking lots in the area had between 2 and 4 inches of water covering them.
Penny size hail fell in downtown Jonesboro.
A drainage ditch overfilled with more than 4 feet of water causing considerable flooding on Craighead Road.
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, September 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: 196803, 196804, 196805.