A lack of rainfall and low humidities allowed for the development of two significant wildfires, one on the 22nd and one on the 23rd.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
A lack of rainfall and low humidities allowed for the development of two significant wildfires, one on the 22nd and one on the 23rd.
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 22, 9:46 AM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1046 AM CDT WED SEP 22 2010 .UPDATE... QUICK UPDATE TO REMOVE MORNING SHOWER WORDING IN THE NORTH AS THE LIGHT SHOWERS AND SPRINKLES HAVE DIMINISHED AS THE LLJ GOES THROUGH IT/S DIURNAL WEAKENING CYCLE. HAVE BUMPED CLOUD COVER UP THIS AFTERNOON AS LL MSTR SURGE SHOULD RESULT IN SCT TO BKN CU OVER MUCH OF AR...NOT DISSIMILAR TO YDAY. TEMPS AND REST OF GRIDS LOOK WELL ON TRACK. UPDATED GRIDS AND ZONES ARE OUT. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 650 AM CDT WED SEP 22 2010/ AVIATION...12Z TAF CYCLE BAND OF MID LVL CLOUDS OVR WRN AND NRN AR WL PERSIST THRU THE MID MRNG HRS. STILL SEEING SOME LGT SHRA ACTIVITY ACRS N-CNTRL AR AS WELL...BUT NO IMPACT ON VSBYS. OUTFLOW BNDRY FM OVERNIGHT STORMS OVR MO CONTS TO WEAKEN AS IT APCHS THE AR BRDR. MID CLOUDS SHLD SCT OUT LATER THIS MRNG AS MIXING COMMENCES. VFR CONDS WL CONT THRU THE FCST PD. SLY WINDS ARND 10 KTS WL BE COMMON LATER TODAY...WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS OVR NRN AR. WINDS WL DIMINISH ARND SUNSET. /44/ PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 320 AM CDT WED SEP 22 2010/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT NOT MUCH CHANGE TO THE FORECAST. BROAD UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES OVER THE EASTERN CONUS...WITH SFC HIGH PRESSURE JUST OFF THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD. A DISTURBANCE ENTERING CALIFORNIA TODAY WILL EVENTUALLY MOVE TO THE GREAT LAKES REGION BY FRIDAY MORNING AS SFC AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGING SHIFTS FURTHER EAST. ASSOC COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO NRN ARKANSAS FRI MORNING AND WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE STATE DURING THE DAY FRI. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES SHOULD NOT CHANGE MUCH TODAY OR THURSDAY...WITH UPPER 80S EXPECTED OVER THE NWRN ZONES INCREASING INTO THE MID 90S OVER THE SE CWA. URBAN LOCATIONS AND AREAS MORE TOWARDS THE DELTA REGION MAY SEE SOME UPPER 90S TODAY AND AGAIN THURSDAY. FOR FRIDAY...POPS GRADUALLY INCREASE ACROSS THE NORTH DURING THE DAY. INTRODUCED SOME LIKELY POPS IN THE NORTHERN MOST TIER OF COUNTIES DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS FRIDAY. FRONTAL PROGRESSION IS SLOW...WITH THE SFC BOUNDARY ONLY MAKING IT TO SOUTHERN ARKANSAS BY SATURDAY MORNING. AS SUCH...BEST CHANCES FOR RAIN SHIFT TO CENTRAL ARKANSAS FRI EVENING AND REMAIN OVER CENTRAL AND SRN ARKANSAS FRI NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. RAIN CHANCES FOR SAT EVENING ARE A LITTLE UNCERTAIN AS FRONTAL POSITION AND INTERACTIONS WITH DEVELOPING CUTOFF LOW OVER CENTRAL CONUS ARE SOMEWHAT FUZZY AT THE MOMENT. CLOUD COVER AND EXPECTED PRECIP WILL LIMIT TEMPERATURES QUITE A BIT FOR FRIDAY...EXCEPT IN THE SOUTH WHERE LOW 90S WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE. MOST EVERY SHOULD BE LIMITED TO THE 80S FOR SATURDAY WITH LINGERING CLOUD COVER AND SHOWER ACTIVITY. LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE MAIN FCST CONCERN DURG THE PD WL CONT TO BE THE EVENTUAL TRACK OF THE UPR LOW THAT IS PROGGED TO DROP SWD FM THE NRN PLAINS OVR THE WEEKEND. THE 00Z RUNS OF THE ECMWF AND CANADIAN HAVE TRENDED FURTHER W WITH THE CLOSED LOW...SIMILAR TO THE GFS. OPTED TO STAY MORE IN LINE WITH THE ECMWF/CANADIAN SOLUTIONS REGARDING TRACK OF THE UPR LOW AND ASSOCD SFC LOW PLACEMENT. WITH CONTD FCST UNCERTAINTIES...WENT AHEAD AND INCRSD CLOUD COVER OVR MUCH OF THE FA SUN AND MON ASSOCD WITH WRAPAROUND MOISTURE ASSOCD WITH THE UPR LOW. ALSO INCLUDED SLGT CHC POPS FOR THE ERN HALF OF THE AREA SUN AND SUN EVENING. IF LATER MODEL RUNS CONT TO INDC A MORE WWD TRACK WITH THE UPR SYS...RAIN CHCS WOULD NEED TO BE INCRSD IN COVERAGE. WL SEE FALL LIKE TEMPS FINALLY ARRIVE ACRS THE MID SOUTH...WITH A REINFORCING SHOT OF COOLER AIR BY TUE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 92 69 90 69 / 10 10 10 10 CAMDEN AR 94 69 93 71 / 10 10 10 10 HARRISON AR 89 66 87 68 / 10 10 10 20 HOT SPRINGS AR 92 71 91 73 / 10 10 10 10 LITTLE ROCK AR 93 71 92 71 / 10 10 10 10 MONTICELLO AR 95 70 94 71 / 10 10 10 10 MOUNT IDA AR 90 68 90 71 / 10 10 10 10 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 90 65 89 68 / 20 10 10 20 NEWPORT AR 93 69 92 69 / 10 10 10 10 PINE BLUFF AR 94 68 94 70 / 10 10 10 10 RUSSELLVILLE AR 92 67 91 69 / 10 10 10 10 SEARCY AR 93 67 91 68 / 10 10 10 10 STUTTGART AR 94 69 93 70 / 10 10 10 10 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && UPDATE...63
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 500 AM CDT WED SEP 22 2010 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-231000- 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- 500 AM CDT WED SEP 22 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH ARKANSAS FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT...BUT THE CHANCES OF ANY ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER WILL REMAIN LOW. COOLER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE MID SOUTH FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT. MEANWHILE...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW IS FORECAST TO DROP SOUTHWARD INTO THE REGION LATE IN THE WEEKEND. THE SYSTEM WILL BRING SOME LINGERING CLOUD COVER AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. THE EXACT TRACK OF THE UPPER LOW REMAINS UNCERTAIN...SO SOME CHANGES IN THE FORECAST WILL LIKELY OCCUR IN THE COMING DAYS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 44
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A wildfire consumed more than 400 acres about 9 miles west-northwest of Bearden. The fire burned timber owned by a large timber company and also destroyed an outbuilding and two camping trailers. Nine bulldozers and an air tanker were used to fight the fire.
A wildfire about a mile southwest of Cross Roads burned 120 acres of timber. Some of the trees that were destroyed had been replanted following a tornado on May 2, 2008. Nine residences were evacuated because of the proximity of the fire, but none of the structures burned. Six fire departments and the Arkansas Forestry Commission fought the fire.
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, September 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: 252645, 252650.