Multiple heavy rain events in early December caused minor flooding along the Cache River at Patterson.
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.
Multiple heavy rain events in early December caused minor flooding along the Cache River at Patterson.
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 Dec 15, 12:01 PM CST, 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1201 PM CST SAT DEC 15 2012 .AVIATION... A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS CURRENTLY NOTED ACROSS FAR SSE ARKANSAS. CLOUDS ARE SLOWLY ERODING FROM WEST TO EAST...WITH VFR CONDITIONS AT NORTHERN TERMINALS TO GENERALLY MVFR THE FAR SOUTHERN SITES. SOME MVFR CIGS ARE ONGOING AT CENTRAL SITES...BUT THESE WILL BEGIN TO GIVE WAY TO VRF HEIGHTS OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH TODAY AND STALL IN THE SOUTHEAST. EXPECT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO INCREASE WITH MFVR CONDITIONS RETURNING TO CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AR LATE THIS EVENING. RAIN WILL LIKELY BE PRESENT AT THE SOUTHERN MOST SITES OVERNIGHT...WITH PATCHY FOG DURING THE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING HOURS. EXPECT SOME LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR AS WELL. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 618 AM CST SAT DEC 15 2012/ AVIATION... WARM FRONT MOVING NORTH THIS MORNING WITH SHRA AFFECTING MOST CENTRAL SITES AT THE MOMENT. EXPECT THE THE LINE OF SHOWERS TO CONTINUE MOVING EAST...WITH RAINFALL IMPACTING SOUTHERN SITES LATER THIS MORNING. TEMPORARY MVFR CIGS TO PREVAIL ACROSS NORTHERN LOCATIONS FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE A CLEARING IS SEEN AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO ARKANSAS LATER TODAY...BRINGING DRIER AIR WITH IT. THE COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO SOUTHERN ARKANSAS BY THE EVENING AND STALL CLOSE TO THE SOUTHEASTERN STATE BORDER. THE PROXIMITY OF THE FRONT WILL KEEP MVFR CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SOUTH. CENTRAL SITES MAY GRADUALLY IMPROVE TO VFR CIGS DURING THE AFTERNOON. LOW LEVEL SPEED SHEAR WILL GENERALLY LESSEN THROUGH THE DAY AS SURFACE WINDS BECOME GUSTY OUT OF THE SSW. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 234 AM CST SAT DEC 15 2012/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS A WARM FRONT MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT THIS TIME. A COLD FRONT WAS LOCATED OVER OKLAHOMA...EXTENDING INTO NORTH TEXAS. THE WARM BOUNDARY WILL CONTINUE PUSHING NORTH THIS MORNING. WITH THE WARM SECTOR ADVANCING NORTHWARD...AND WINDS BECOMING SOUTHWEST...DRIER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION...WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING WELL INTO THE 60S TO LOWER 70S. WINDS WILL RANGE FROM 10 TO 20 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SUSTAINED SPEEDS LOOK TO REMAIN BELOW LAKE WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA AT THIS TIME...SO NO HEADLINES ARE NECESSARY. THE AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION LATER THIS MORNING...AND IS EXPECTED TO STALL OUT NEAR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. AN UPPER WAVE MOVING THROUGH WILL INTERACT WITH THE BOUNDARY...AND KEEP A CHANCE OF SHOWERS/STORMS IN THE FORECAST FOR THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE AREA THROUGH SUNDAY. ON SUNDAY...A SECONDARY COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE STATE...BUT NOT BEFORE TEMPERATURES CLIMB BACK INTO THE 60S TO LOWER 70S. ONCE THIS SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH...SLIGHTLY COLDER AND DRIER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION ON NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. AN UPPER WAVE WILL MOVE THROUGH DURING THE DAY MONDAY...BUT WITH A LACK OF LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE...ONLY A BRIEF INCREASE IN MIDLEVEL CLOUDS SHOULD BE NOTED. LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WEAK HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION AND SLIDES TO THE EAST OF THE STATE TO START OFF THE LONG TERM. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE SETTLES IN WITH TEMPERATURES RUNNING ABOUT 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. ON WEDNESDAY WINDS WILL BE GUSTY OUT OF THE SOUTH AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT SET TO BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE STATE LATE WEDNESDAY AND INTO THURSDAY. THE FRONT SHOULD PUSH TO THE EAST OF THE STATE BY MID DAY ON THURSDAY. MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT CONSIDERING THE TIMING AND AVAILABLE MOISTURE WITH THIS FRONT. MODELS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT WITH THE BEST MOISTURE TO THE EAST OF THE STATE...BUT STILL ENOUGH TO BE CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO ADD LOW END CHANCE POPS. THE 00Z EURO DUG THE UPPER LEVEL LOW A BIT FURTHER TO THE SOUTH AS WELL AS ADDING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE WRAP AROUND MOISTURE. THE EURO IS THE OUTLIER IN THIS SCENARIO...BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR IN FUTURE FORECASTS. BEHIND THE FRONT...TEMPERATURES WILL COOL YET STILL REMAIN RIGHT AROUND NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL BE OBSERVED ON THURSDAY BEHIND THE FRONT WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE REGION TO END THE LONG TERM. FIRE WEATHER... SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING AS A WARM FRONT CONTINUES TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE STATE LATER TODAY...STALLING OVER SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHEAST THIRD OF THE STATE...IN THE VICINITY OF THIS BOUNDARY. ON SUNDAY...A SECONDARY COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH...WITH RAIN CHANCES COMING TO AN END...AND SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES. THE NEXT CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAINFALL WILL BE MID TO LATE WEEK...AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. MINIMUM HUMIDITY WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN ON THE HIGH SIDE IN MOST AREAS TODAY...BOTTOMING OUT ABOVE 40 PERCENT. THE EXCEPTION WILL BE IN THE FAR WEST...BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...WHERE MINIMUMS SHOULD REACH THE 20 TO 30 PERCENT RANGE BY MID AFTERNOON. DRIER CONDITIONS WILL BE NOTED OVER A LARGER AREA ON SUNDAY...AS DRY AIR SURGES IN BEHIND A SECONDARY COLD FRONT. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL RETURN BY MONDAY...WITH MOISTURE INCREASING THROUGH MID-WEEK. WIND SPEEDS WILL BE ELEVATED TODAY AND SUNDAY...WITH THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARIES. HOWEVER...SUSTAINED 20-FOOT SPEEDS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW CRITICAL THRESHOLDS. BUT...WITH THIS IN MIND...DRIER CONDITIONS IN THE WEST...ALONG WITH THE ELEVATED WINDS WILL ELEVATE FIRE DANGER IN THOSE DISTRICTS TODAY...AS WELL AS SUNDAY. CLIMATE... FORECAST TEMPERATURES AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS ARE WITHIN ABOUT FIVE DEGREES OF RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY AND SUNDAY. HERE ARE SOME LOCATIONS THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE CLOSE TO TYING OR BREAKING THE RECORDS BOTH DAYS... STATION DEC 15 RECORD HIGH ---------------------------- ------------------ LITTLE ROCK ADAMS FIELD 72 IN 1984 HOT SPRINGS AIRPORT 72 IN 1957 STUTTGART AIRPORT 70 IN 2006 JACKSONVILLE/LITTLE ROCK AFB 73 IN 2006 NORTH LITTLE ROCK 70 IN 2006 ARKADELPHIA 74 IN 1984 HARDY 68 IN 1908 MENA 72 IN 1933 RUSSELLVILLE 73 IN 2006 BATESVILLE AIRPORT 72 IN 2006 FLIPPIN 72 IN 2006 BRINKLEY 73 IN 1971 CALICO ROCK 72 IN 2006 SHERIDAN 75 IN 1984 NEWPORT 74 IN 1933 CLARKSVILLE WATER PLANT 73 IN 1957 STATION DEC 16 RECORD HIGH ---------------------------- ------------------ JACKSONVILLE/LITTLE ROCK AFB 72 IN 2006 NORTH LITTLE ROCK 69 IN 2006 RUSSELLVILLE 72 IN 2006 BATESVILLE AIRPORT 70 IN 2006 MONTICELLO 76 IN 1984 HOT SPRINGS AIRPORT 69 IN 1984 STUTTGART AIRPORT 72 IN 2006 SHERIDAN 74 IN 1984 STAR CITY/CANE CREEK 72 IN 2006 CLARKSVILLE WATER PLANT 69 IN 2006 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 68 47 66 40 / 10 10 10 10 CAMDEN AR 71 51 72 44 / 20 20 20 10 HARRISON AR 70 43 64 36 / 0 0 10 10 HOT SPRINGS AR 71 48 71 41 / 10 10 10 10 LITTLE ROCK AR 70 50 70 43 / 20 10 10 10 MONTICELLO AR 69 58 72 49 / 30 40 20 10 MOUNT IDA AR 71 44 72 40 / 10 0 10 10 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 69 43 64 38 / 0 0 10 10 NEWPORT AR 68 51 67 42 / 20 10 10 10 PINE BLUFF AR 69 55 71 46 / 20 20 10 10 RUSSELLVILLE AR 73 40 68 35 / 10 0 10 10 SEARCY AR 69 44 66 37 / 20 10 10 10 STUTTGART AR 69 52 68 44 / 20 20 10 10 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...57 / LONG TERM...225 AVIATION...224
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1045 AM CST SAT DEC 15 2012 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-161100- 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- 1045 AM CST SAT DEC 15 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG A STALLED FRONT IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS TONIGHT. AT THIS TIME...NO SEVERE STORMS ARE ANTICIPATED. SOME SPOTS COULD PICK UP A QUARTER TO HALF INCH OF RAIN...WITH HEAVIER AMOUNTS TO THE SOUTHEAST IN LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ON SUNDAY...A SECONDARY COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION. WHILE SHOWERS COULD LINGER DURING THE MORNING IN THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST...PRECIPITATION SHOULD EXIT DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH THE FRONT. LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY...A NEW COLD FRONT WILL MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH THE STATE FROM THE PLAINS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...HOWEVER MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE SOMEWHAT LIMITED WITH BETTER CHANCES FOR STORMS TO DEVELOP MAINLY TO THE EAST OF ARKANSAS. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE FRONT ON WEDNESDAY...WITH GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS TO FOLLOW THE FRONT ON THURSDAY. .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. 225/46
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rainfall in early December caused the Cache River at Patterson to crest at 8.35 feet on December 16th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, December 2012
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: 420568.