Severe drought conditions, which began in July, persisted through the middle of August in Desha County.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Severe drought conditions, which began in July, persisted through the middle of August in Desha County.
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 Jul 31, 11:49 PM CST, 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1249 AM CDT SUN AUG 1 2010
.AVIATION...
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT CONTINUES OVER THE AREA WITH A WEAK COLD FRONT
MOVING SOUTH THROUGH NORTH ARKANSAS. A FEW SHOWERS WERE ASSOCIATED
WITH THE FRONT BUT HAVE RECENTLY DISSIPATED. SCATTERED MID LEVEL
CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED NORTH AND CENTRAL THIS MORNING WITH HIGH
CLOUDS SOUTH. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT BUT A CHANGE IN WIND DIRECTION
IS EXPECTED WHERE THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH. SCATTERED CUMULUS WILL
DEVELOP DURING THE DAY TODAY AND CIRRUS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 630 PM CDT SAT JUL 31 2010/
AVIATION...
OVERALL VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED NEXT 24 HOURS. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN AR WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN AND DISSIPATE
NEXT 2 TO 4 HOURS. WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER NORTH AR WILL SAG TO
CENTRAL AR OVERNIGHT. LIGHT SOUTH WIND AHEAD OF BOUNDARY...LIGHT
NORTH WIND BEHIND BOUNDARY. LIGHT FOG OVERNIGHT MAINLY IN VALLEY
AREAS. VFR CONDITIONS SUNDAY...WITH ONLY ISOLATED SHOWER OR
THUNDERSTORM EAST AR ON SUNDAY. NORTH WINDS 5 KNOTS OR LESS BEHIND
WEAK FRONT WHILE SOUTH WINDS 5 KNOTS OR LESS AHEAD OF FRONT. (59)
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 152 PM CDT SAT JUL 31 2010/
SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT IT THAT HAS NOT ALREADY BEEN SAID OVER THE
LAST FEW DAYS...IT/S BEEN HOT. IT/S HOT NOW. IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE
HOT. ALL KIDDING ASIDE...THE LATEST FORECAST OFFERS LITTLE IN THE
WAY OF RELIEF FOR THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER.
BOTH HIGHS AND LOWS WILL CONTINUE TO BE WELL ABOVE CLIMATOLOGICAL
AVERAGES...WITH A FEW LOCATIONS FLIRTING WITH RECORD TEMPERATURES.
SYNOPTICALLY SPEAKING...LARGE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN
ENTRENCHED OVER THE SOUTHERN CONUS FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD. FRONTAL
BOUNDARY CURRENTLY ANALYZED OVER SOUTHERN MISSOURI WILL OFFER NO
RELIEF FROM THE OPPRESSIVE HEAT...AND I HAVE MY DOUBTS AS TO HOW
FAR SOUTH IT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION BEFORE BEING SHOVED BACK TO
THE NORTH BY THE UPPER RIDGE. NEEDLESS TO SAY...ANY LARGE-SCALE
CONVECTION WILL BE SUPRESSED...SO WILL HAVE NO MENTION OF PRECIP IN
THE FORECAST THROUGH THE END OF THE SHORT TERM.
AS FOR THE HEAT ADVISORY...WILL EXTEND IN TIME OUT TO TUESDAY...AND
WILL ALSO INCLUDE ALL COUNTIES BEGINNING ON MONDAY...AS HUMIDITY
VALUES WILL BE ON THE INCREASE THERE.
LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
NOT MUCH CHANGE IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON. LATEST
MODEL RUNS HAVE COME MORE IN LINE WITH MY THINKING FROM YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON...THAT IS KEEPING THE UPPER RIDGE STRONG OVER THE
SOUTH CENTRAL CONUS AND NOT ALLOWING FRONTAL BOUNDARIES TO MOVE INTO
ARKANSAS. THE EASTERN PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BE CLOSE
ENOUGH TO ARKANSAS SUCH THAT ENERGY MOVING BY MAY SPARK OFF
AFTERNOON SHOWERS/TSTMS FROM THURSDAY ONWARD. BEST CHANCES WOULD BE
IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE CWA...BUT LEFT BROAD-BRUSHED 20 POPS TO
ACCOUNT FOR UNCERTAINTY. OTHERWISE...TWEAKED TEMPS TO KEEP THEM IN
LINE WITH A 97-100 DEGREE RANGE FOR AFTERNOON HIGHS THROUGH THE
PERIOD...AND ADJUSTED SKY COVER TO REFLECT MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AT
NIGHT AND ONLY PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES IN THE AFTERNOON.
CLIMATOLOGY...
SOME LOCATIONS WILL HAVE NEAR RECORD TEMPERATURES OVER THE NEXT FEW
DAYS. THOUGH RECORD MAXES MAY NOT BE CHALLENGED...RECORD HIGH MINS
ARE CERTAINLY IN DANGER OF BEING TIED OR BROKEN.
1 - FORECAST MIN 08/01 2 - RECORD HIGH MIN 08/01
3 - FORECAST MAX 08/01 4 - RECORD MAX 08/01
5 - FORECAST MIN 08/02 6 - RECORD HIGH MIN 08/02
7 - FORECAST MAX 08/02 8 - RECORD MAX 08/02
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LITTLE ROCK 79 79/1896 101 105/1980 80 80/1896 102 105/2008
CAMDEN 76 78/1898 103 106/1896 78 80/1902 105 109/1896
HOT SPRINGS NP 79 79/2006 103 103/2008 79 80/2008 103 106/2008
MONTICELLO 79 79/2006 103 102/2006 80 80/2006 103 104/2008
MOUNT IDA 75 78/2006 104 109/1986 74 78/2006 104 104/1918
PINE BLUFF 78 78/1986 101 104/1896 79 78/1999 102 107/1943
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BATESVILLE AR 75 98 76 99 / 10 10 10 10
CAMDEN AR 78 105 76 101 / 10 10 10 10
HARRISON AR 74 98 74 98 / 10 10 10 10
HOT SPRINGS AR 79 103 79 101 / 10 10 10 10
LITTLE ROCK AR 80 102 80 102 / 10 10 10 10
MONTICELLO AR 80 103 79 104 / 10 10 10 10
MOUNT IDA AR 74 104 73 101 / 10 10 10 10
MOUNTAIN HOME AR 74 101 74 100 / 10 10 10 10
NEWPORT AR 75 99 78 100 / 10 10 10 10
PINE BLUFF AR 79 102 79 101 / 10 10 10 10
RUSSELLVILLE AR 77 102 76 101 / 10 10 10 10
SEARCY AR 75 100 77 101 / 10 10 10 10
STUTTGART AR 79 102 81 101 / 10 10 10 10
&&
.LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT TUESDAY FOR ARKANSAS-BRADLEY-
CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-
FAULKNER-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-INDEPENDENCE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-
JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-OUACHITA-PERRY-
PIKE-POLK-POPE-PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-VAN BUREN-WHITE-
WOODRUFF-YELL.
HEAT ADVISORY FROM 7 AM MONDAY TO 7 PM CDT TUESDAY FOR BAXTER-
BOONE-FULTON-IZARD-MARION-NEWTON-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE.
&&
AVIATION...51HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1010 PM CDT SAT JUL 31 2010 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-011000- 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- 1010 PM CDT SAT JUL 31 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SAG SOUTH INTO ARKANSAS AND DEVELOP ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...BUT OVERALL COVERAGE WILL BE LOW. AFTER SUNSET THE CONVECTION WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN AND SLOWLY DISSIPATE. A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING. OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL ONLY LOWER TO THE 70S OVER MUCH OF ARKANSAS AND KEEP WEATHER CONDITIONS WARM AND HUMID. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...AS HEAT INDEX READINGS WILL CLIMB TO 105 TO AROUND 110 DEGREES IN MANY SPOTS IN THE AFTERNOONS TO EVENINGS. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL BE MAINLY FROM THE MID 90S TO AROUND 100 DEGREES ACROSS ARKANSAS THROUGH THE PERIOD...AND COMBINED WITH HIGH HUMIDITY...WILL CREATE DANGEROUS HEAT INDEX VALUES. RESIDENTS SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION DUE TO THE HIGH HEAT VALUES OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. ALSO TEMPERATURES AT NIGHT WILL NOT FALL MUCH...WHICH WILL ONLY INTENSIFY THE EFFECTS OF THE HEAT. DUE TO THE UPPER HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE AREA...HOT AND DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. ADDITIONAL HEAT ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED DURING THIS TIME PERIOD AS WELL. THE CHANCE OF ANY THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY WILL BE LOW...AND THE THREAT OF ANY STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE VERY LOW. .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. 51/59
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe drought conditions, which began in late July, persisted until the middle of August.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, August 2010
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: 253202.