Record rainfall occurred at several cooperative weather observing locations in the Little Rock County Warning Area. One factor to note was that this was not the result of a tropical storm or land-falling hurricane passing across the state.
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.
Record rainfall occurred at several cooperative weather observing locations in the Little Rock County Warning Area. One factor to note was that this was not the result of a tropical storm or land-falling hurricane passing across the state.
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 Sep 4, 9:31 AM CST, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1031 AM CDT FRI SEP 4 2009 .UPDATE... TEMPERATURES ARE WARMING MORE RAPIDLY THAN FORECAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST. INCREASED MAX TEMPERATURES IN THESE AREAS. KLZK RADAR SHOWS SHOWERS MOVING INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. ALSO ADJUSTED CLOUD COVER BASED ON CURRENT CONDITIONS AND TRENDS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 615 AM CDT FRI SEP 4 2009/ AVIATION... PATCHY DENSE FOG HAS BEEN REPORTED A SOME LOCATIONS ACROSS AR THIS MORNING...BUT DENSEST FOG HAS KEPT OUT TAF SITES. HRO HAS SEEN VIS DROP OCCASIONALLY TO LESS THAN 2 SM THIS MORNING...BUT HAS ONLY BEEN TEMPORARY...GENERALLY REMAINING AROUND 2 TO 4 SM DUE TO SOME LIGHT FOG. WILL CONTINUE THIS TREND INTO MID MORNING. PBF HAS ALSO SEEN BKN/SCT001...AND WILL ALSO CONTINUE LOWER CEILINGS FOR 1 OR 2 MORE HRS THIS MORNING BEFORE LIFTING. UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER EASTERN KS THIS MORNING WILL PUSH SOUTH INTO AR...BRING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO MANY LOCATIONS ACROSS AR THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. EXPECTING DOMINANT VFR CONDITIONS AT ALL SITES...WITH VCSH/VCTS THIS AFTERNOON AND TEMPO/PROB30 TSRA AT ALL SITES. HELD OFF ON PREVAILING TSRA AT THIS TIME DUE TO THE SCATTERED NATURE OF TSRA DEVELOPMENT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...LATER TAF ISSUANCES MAY INCLUDE THIS IF THE ACTIVITY BECOMES MORE WIDESPREAD. THIS EVENING...WILL SEE TSRA ACTIVITY DIMINISH WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING...BUT CONTINUE WITH VCSH AS LINGERING SHRA ACTIVITY WILL BE POSSIBLE. 12Z TAFS OUT SHORTLY. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 254 AM CDT FRI SEP 4 2009/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH MONDAY UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL BE PREDOMINANT THROUGH MUCH OF THE SHORT TERM PERIODS...AS TROUGHING SETS UP IN THE MIDDLE PORTION OF THE CONUS. PREVAILING UPPER FLOW WILL BE OUT OF THE NORTH AND NORTHWEST... AND WILL SEND SEVERAL SYSTEMS THROUGH THE REGION...BRINGING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. FIRST SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE AREA LATER TODAY...AS REMNANTS FROM A COMPLEX OF STORMS IN EASTERN KANSAS MOVES ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS. AT THE SAME TIME...ADDITIONAL SHOWERS/STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS INSTABILITY INCREASES DURING THE DAY. SHOWERS/STORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND...AS MORE SYSTEMS DROP DOWN IN THE MEAN FLOW. BY MONDAY...UPPER RIDGING WILL PUSH EAST FROM THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES...AND RAIN CHANCES WILL DECREASE. AM HAVING A HARD TIME BUYING GFS TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE NUMBERS...AS SURFACE FLOW WILL BE PREDOMINANTLY OUT OF THE EAST AND AREA WILL BE MOSTLY CLOUDY. HAVE TRENDED THE FORECAST BELOW GFS NUMBERS... AND CLOSER TO THE NAM MOS...WHICH ARE MORE REALISTIC. LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY PERIOD STARTS OFF WITH DECENT MEDIUM RANGE MODEL AGREEMENT WITH AN UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION...WITH TROUGH AXIS STRETCHING SOUTH INTO THE SOUTHERN MS RIVER VALLEY REGION. THIS PUTS AR IN WEAK NW FLOW ALOFT...WITH WEAK DISTURBANCES MOVING OVERHEAD...KEEPING RAIN CHANCES IN THE FORECAST IN THE FIRST PART OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD. BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK HOWEVER...MODEL SOLUTIONS BEGIN TO DIVERGE SIGNIFICANTLY WITH THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN. THE LATEST GFS KEEPS A TROUGH OVER THE SE CONUS THROUGH THE END OF THE LONG TERM. THIS SOLUTION WILL ALLOW FOR COOLER AND SLIGHTLY DRIER CONDITIONS THROUGH THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK. HOWEVER...THE ECMWF KEEPS THE MAIN UPPER FLOW FURTHER NORTH...WITH A WEAKER SHORTWAVE TROUGH TRANSLATING EAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION. THIS SOLUTION WILL KEEP TEMPS A BIT WARMER DURING THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK BEFORE A COLD FRONT DIGS SOUTH ACROSS THE PLAINS WITH THE PUSH OF THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH. WITH THESE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GFS AND ECMWF...AS WELL AS FAIRLY POOR RUN TO RUN CONTINUITY OF THE LATEST MODEL SOLUTIONS...WILL KEEP ONLY SLIGHT CHANCES POPS...AND JUST BELOW NORMAL TEMPS THROUGH THE END OF THE LONG TERM. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 81 64 77 63 / 50 50 60 40 CAMDEN AR 87 66 85 65 / 30 50 50 40 HARRISON AR 78 60 75 61 / 60 60 60 40 HOT SPRINGS AR 86 68 82 65 / 30 60 50 40 LITTLE ROCK AR 87 66 84 66 / 40 50 50 40 MONTICELLO AR 87 67 86 66 / 30 50 50 40 MOUNT IDA AR 84 64 80 63 / 40 60 50 40 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 78 61 78 61 / 60 60 60 40 NEWPORT AR 82 63 80 64 / 40 50 60 40 PINE BLUFF AR 87 66 84 66 / 30 50 50 40 RUSSELLVILLE AR 85 63 80 64 / 50 60 50 40 SEARCY AR 86 62 82 64 / 40 50 60 40 STUTTGART AR 87 66 85 66 / 30 50 50 40 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && 51
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1255 PM CDT FRI SEP 4 2009 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-051000- 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- 1255 PM CDT FRI SEP 4 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK EASTWARD ACROSS MISSOURI THROUGH THIS EVENING. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT MAINLY THE NORTH HALF OF ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY TONIGHT...WITH LESSER RAIN CHANCES EXPECTED FURTHER SOUTH. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING...DUE TO HIGH MOISTURE LEVELS IN PLACE AND THE EXPECTED SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE ACTIVITY. AN ISOLATED STRONG OR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...WITH HAIL THE MAIN CONCERN. THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SHOULD BEGIN TO DIMINISH IN COVERAGE EARLY TONIGHT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. HOWEVER... A FEW ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT...AGAIN WITH HEAVY RAINFALL THE MAIN CONCERN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO STALL OVER THE MID SOUTH THIS WEEKEND...KEEPING SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST. THE COMBINATION OF WEAK WINDS ALOFT AND HIGH LEVELS OF MOISTURE...COULD PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO BECOME STRONG OR SEVERE. HOWEVER...ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO LIFT TO THE NORTH AND WEAKEN MONDAY AND TUESDAY. HOWEVER...A COLD FRONT WILL FOLLOW FROM THE NORTHWEST BY THURSDAY WITH CONTINUED CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 62/44
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Gravelly broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
Danville broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
Pine Ridge broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
Blakely Mountain Dam broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
Oden broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
Subiaco broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
Hopper broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
Morrilton broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
Augusta broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
Perry broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
Nimrod Dam broke the record for the greatest rainfall ever recorded in the month of September.
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: 192007, 192008, 192011, 192013, 192014, 192015, 192016, 192018, 192019, 192020, 192022.