Favorable conditions for wildfires continued into late March, with continuing dry vegetation and periodic spells of windy weather and low humidities.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Favorable conditions for wildfires continued into late March, with continuing dry vegetation and periodic spells of windy weather and low humidities.
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 Mar 23, 9:11 AM CST, 1 hour 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1011 AM CDT WED MAR 23 2011 .UPDATE... MADE A FEW MINOR UPDATES TO THE FORECAST...MAINLY TO TWEAK CLOUD COVER...DEWPOINTS...AND WINDS. WILL KEEP AN EYE ON CLOUD TRENDS AND MAY HAVE TO MAKE SOME FURTHER TWEAKS TO AFTERNOON TEMPS IF CLOUDS DO NOT CLEAR OUT AS EXPECTED. 53 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 655 AM CDT WED MAR 23 2011/ AVIATION...12Z TAF CYCLE LOW CLOUDS CONT TO ADVECT/DVLP ACRS MAINLY CNTRL AND SRN AR ATTM... WITH MVFR/VFR CIGS NOTED. EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONT THRU AT LEAST MID MRNG AS BREEZY S/SWLY WINDS CONT TO BRING LOW LVL RH NWD. 12Z KLZK RAOB DATA/FCST SOUNDINGS INDCD THE POTENTIAL FOR LLWS ACRS THE AREA THRU THE MID MRNG HRS. MEANWHILE...A CDFNT TO THE NW OF THE FA WL EVENTUALLY DROP SEWD THRU THE STATE LATER TODAY. WINDS WL SHIFT TO THE W/NW WITH FROPA. DRIER AIR WL ERODE ANY LINGERING LOW CLOUDS...WITH VFR CONDS EXPECTED. MODELS HINT AT SOME LOW LVL MOISTURE DROPPING SWD INTO NRN AR LATER TNGT...BUT HAVE OPTED NOT TO MENTION ANY LOW CLOUDS ATTM. /44/ PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 322 AM CDT WED MAR 23 2011/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY BREEZY SOUTH WINDS HAVE KEPT TEMPS WARM OVERNIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA...WITH TEMPS REMAINING INT HE UPPER 60S TO LOW 70S ACROSS MUCH OF AR. THE EXCEPTION BEING ACROSS THE VALLEY REGIONS OF THE OZARKS WHERE WINDS HAVE BEEN MUCH WEAKER...AND HAVE ALLOWED FOR MORE SIGNIFICANT RADIATIONAL COOLING WITH TEMPS DROPPING INTO THE 50S. SFC ANALYSIS EARLY THIS MORNING SHOW THE COLD FRONT STRETCHING FROM SOUTH CENTRAL IA...SWWD TO NEAR KS-CITY INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KS AND SW OK. THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT WILL BE THE MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGE EARLY IN THE SHORT TERM AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON. WITH DEEP MOISTURE REMAINING LIMITED ACROSS THE STATE...AND WITH MAIN UPPER FORCING STAYING TO THE NORTH OF AR...DO NOT EXPECT MUCH IF ANY PRECIP ACROSS THE CWA AS THE FRONT TRAVERSES THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON. WILL CONTINUE WITH SILENT POPS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA...THOUGH AS THE FRONT MOVES INTO FAR ERN AND SERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE LATE THIS AFTERNOON...DO INCREASE POPS INTO THE SLIGHT CHANCE CATEGORY AS THERE WILL BE SLIGHTLY INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR SOME ISOLATED SHRA OR TSRA. THE BEST PRECIP CHANCES WILL ACTUALLY REMAIN TO THE EAST AND NE OF THE STATE. TEMPS AHEAD OF THIS FRONT WILL WARM INTO THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S WITH PREFRONTAL COMPRESSIONAL HEATING AND MOSTLY SUNNY TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES EXPECTED. EVEN BEHIND THE FRONT...DO EXPECT TEMPS TO WARM INTO THE 70S BEFORE THE CAA REALLY KICKS IN WITH THE APPROACH OF A REINFORCING UPPER WAVE/VORT MAX THAT WILL ROTATE SE TOWARDS NRN AR BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL INITIALLY BE FAIRLY BREEZY FROM THE SOUTH AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WITH WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH...AND GUSTS OF 25 TO NEAR 30 MPH POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL AND ERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE. THEN AS WINDS TURN TO THE NW THIS AFTERNOON BEHIND THE FRONT...EXPECT BREEZY CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE...SO HAVE POSTED A LAKE WIND ADV EFFECTIVE FROM 12Z THIS MORNING THROUGH 00Z THU THIS AFTERNOON. SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THU AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES ACROSS THE REGION. TEMPS COULD STRUGGLE TO REACH THE LOW TO MID 50S ACROSS NRN AR FOR THU...THOUGH SRN SECTIONS OF THE STATE COULD STILL SEE HIGHS IN THE 60S TO NEAR 70. A WARM FRONT WILL BEGIN LIFTING BACK NORTH ON FRI...WITH PRECIP CHANCES INCREASING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE STATE. LOOKS LIKE BEST POPS WILL REMAIN ACROSS NWRN AND NRN SECTIONS OF THE STATE FOR MUCH OF FRI...THEN EXPANDING ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA FOR SAT. THERE DOES REMAIN A FAIR AMOUNT OF UNCERTAINTY REGARDING FRONTAL POSITION AND ASSOCIATED SFC LOW TRACK FRI AND SAT. THIS WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS OF FORECAST TEMPS LATE IN THE SHORT TERM...WITH THE GFS AND ECMWF KEEP MORE OF THE STATE WARMER. HOWEVER...THE NAM KEEPS THE WARM FRONT FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS CENTRAL AND SRN SECTIONS OF THE STATE. FOR NOW THOUGH...WILL GO WITH A COMPROMISE AND BLEND SOLUTIONS FOR TEMPS AND POPS THROUGH THIS PERIOD...THOUGH THERE IS LIKELY TO BE A WIDE RANGE OF TEMPS ON FRI AND SAT WITH THE FRONT LIFTING NORTH AND SFC LOW TRACKING ACROSS THE REGION. LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE MODELS CONT TO DIFFER REGARDING THE TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF THE NEXT STORM SYS PROGGED TO AFFECT THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF AND CANADIAN INDC A SLOWER EWD PROGRESSION OF THE SFC LOW TRACK MON INTO TUE...COMPARED TO THE GFS. FOR NOW...WL STAY CLOSER TO THE ECMWF/CANADIAN SOLUTIONS FOR CONTINUITY. THE FA WL BE IN BETWEEN WX SYSTEMS ON SUN WITH MAINLY DRY CONDS EXPECTED. RAIN CHCS WL RETURN SUN NGT AND MON AS THE AFOREMENTIONED SFC LOW APCHS FM THE W. EXPECT SCTD SHRA/ISOLD TSRA AS OVERRUNNING PATTERN SETS UP OVR THE REGION. UNSETTLED CONDS WL LINGER INTO TUE. THE EVENTUAL TRACK OF THE SFC LOW WL DETERMINE HOW MUCH OF AR GETS INTO THE WARM SECTOR...IF ANY. WL CONT TO MONITOR MODEL TRENDS IN THE COMING DAYS WITH THE HOPE THAT WE SEE SOME BETTER AGREEMENT BETWEEN THEM. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 77 41 56 36 / 10 0 0 20 CAMDEN AR 82 48 71 43 / 10 0 0 10 HARRISON AR 71 35 54 36 / 10 0 0 20 HOT SPRINGS AR 79 44 66 41 / 10 0 0 20 LITTLE ROCK AR 80 44 63 40 / 10 0 0 20 MONTICELLO AR 82 48 69 41 / 20 10 0 10 MOUNT IDA AR 77 43 66 41 / 10 0 0 20 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 73 37 55 35 / 10 0 0 20 NEWPORT AR 78 42 56 36 / 20 0 0 10 PINE BLUFF AR 81 46 65 40 / 20 10 0 10 RUSSELLVILLE AR 76 40 63 39 / 10 0 0 20 SEARCY AR 79 42 59 37 / 10 0 0 10 STUTTGART AR 80 44 61 39 / 20 0 0 10 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR 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. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 500 AM CDT WED MAR 23 2011 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-241000- 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 MAR 23 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT BREEZY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE COMMON TODAY...AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE ACROSS ARKANSAS AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT...USHERING MUCH DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION. A LAKE WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN POSTED IN MUCH OF ARKANSAS...WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 15 TO 25 MPH AND GUSTS TO 30 MPH. STRONG WINDS ALONG WITH WARM TEMPERATURES AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL INCREASE THE CONCERN FOR WILDFIRES. THIS WILL BE ESPECIALLY TRUE ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN ARKANSAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY COOLER AND MORE SEASONAL TEMPERATURES WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT. THE FRONT WILL STALL ACROSS THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES...AND EVENTUALLY INTERACT WITH SEVERAL SYSTEMS RIDING A WEST TO SOUTHWEST WIND FLOW ALOFT. THE SYSTEMS WILL TRIGGER ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AND CONTINUING INTO THE WEEKEND. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OF THESE SYSTEMS SHOULD ARRIVE BY MONDAY...WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCES FOR WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION. IT APPEARS THE TRACK OF THE SYSTEM WILL BE FAR ENOUGH TO THE SOUTH TO KEEP ARKANSAS IN A SOMEWHAT COOL AIRMASS...LIMITING THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER. .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. 44
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A wildfire 1 mile west of Dolph burned 928 acres.
A wildfire 8 miles west of Oakland burned 455 acres.
A wildfire 3 miles south of Ash Flat burned 478 acres.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, March 2011
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: 280935, 280938, 280937.