Heavy rainfall from November and December left multiple locations along the White and Cache Rivers above flood stage through the beginning of January.
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.
Heavy rainfall from November and December left multiple locations along the White and Cache Rivers above flood stage through the beginning of January.
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 31, 11:50 PM CST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1150 PM CST SAT DEC 31 2011 .AVIATION... WIDESPREAD MVFR CIGS CONTINUE SE OF A LINE FROM FROM KTXK THROUGH KLIT AND UP TO KJBR AS OF 05Z. MEANWHILE A COLD FRONT WAS MOVING INTO THE STATE FROM THE WNW...LYING JUST EAST OF A LINE FROM KFSM THROUGH KHRO AT 05Z. MVFR CIGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH AND CLEARS UP THE SKIES. HAVE VFR CONDITIONS RETURNING TO KPBF AND KLLQ BY 10Z...BUT MAINTAIN BKN VFR CIGS THROUGH 13Z. KLIT AND KHOT SHOULD ONLY EXPERIENCE FEW-SCT VFR CLOUDS AROUND BOTH 4K AND 10-15K FT THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. UP NORTH...FEEL THE LIKELIHOOD THAT KHRO AND KPBK WILL GET CLIPPED BY VFR CIGS ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE SFC LOW TO THE NORTH IS PRETTY HIGH AND INCLUDED 3500 FT CIGS FROM 08Z THROUGH 12-15Z SUNDAY MORNING. THE ONLY OTHER STORY IS WINDS...WHICH WILL REMAIN QUITE GUSTY TONIGHT. SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 15KT OR SO WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR CNTRL/SRN SITES UNTIL THE FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH...AFTER WHICH TIME WINDS AROUND 31010G20KT WILL BE THE NORM. KHRO AND KPBK SHOULD SEE HIGHER GUSTS...LOW TO MID 20KT RANGE...AFTER THE FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH BY 10Z IN THOSE SPOTS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 814 PM CST SAT DEC 31 2011/ UPDATE... BASED ON UPSTREAM SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AND DEVELOPING PRESSURE GRADIENT...HAVE DECIDED TO EXTEND THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY THROUGH NOON SUNDAY AND EXTEND IT FURTHER TO THE SOUTH. WINDS NOT AT LAKE WIND CRITERIA YET EVERYWHERE BUT SOUTHWEST WINDS TO INCREASE IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS FOLLOWED BY A WIND SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. ALL OTHER FORECAST ELEMENTS LOOK GOOD AND WILL BE LEFT IN PLACE. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 251 PM CST SAT DEC 31 2011/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT BREEZY SRLY WINDS ONGOING THIS AFTERNOON AT SOME LOCATIONS OF THE CWA...PRIMARILY ACROSS THE NRN AND NWRN COUNTIES. THIS IS THE LOCATION OF TIGHTER SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT...WITH THE MAIN SFC LOW WELL TO THE NORTH ACROSS NW MO...NE KS AND SE NE. AS A RESULT...HAVE POSTED A LAKE WIND ADVISORY THROUGH 02Z SUN FOR THE NRN AR OZARKS. OTHERWISE...ONLY SOME OTHER ISOLATED LOCATIONS FURTHER SOUTH ARE SEEING THE BREEZY CONDITIONS. AS A RESULT OF THESE SRLY WINDS...TEMPS HAVE WARMED NICELY ACROSS THE CWA THIS LAST DAY OF 2011...WITH TEMPS WELL INTO THE 60S SO FAR THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT HIGHS TO TOP OUT IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOW 70S. THE BREEZY CONDITIONS HAVE ALSO CREATED AN ELEVATED WILDFIRE THREAT AS MIN RH VALUES HAVE DROPPED WELL INTO THE 20 PERCENT RANGE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS IS ALSO THE AREA OF THE CWA WHERE RAINFALL HAS NOT BEEN AS ABUNDANT AS LOCATIONS FURTHER SOUTH OVER THE PAST MONTH OR SO. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SURGE SOUTH ACROSS THE STATE OVERNIGHT...WITH A MUCH COLDER AIR-MASS EXPECTED THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. TEMPS WILL LIKELY DROP TO NEAR NORMAL FOR SUN HIGH TEMPS...THEN DROP BELOW NORMAL FOR THE REST OF THE SHORT TERM MON AND TUE. BEHIND THIS FRONT...BREEZY NW WINDS WILL BE EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF SUN...WITH THE LAKE WIND ADV POSSIBLY NEEDING EXTENDING OR REISSUED FOR THE DAYTIME HRS ON SUN FOR MUCH OF THE CWA. THE BREEZY WINDS WILL PERSIST INTO MON AS WELL AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT REMAINS FAIRLY TIGHT ACROSS THE REGION. BY MON NIGHT HOWEVER...THE SFC HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OVER AR...WITH WINDS RELAXING. AS A RESULT OF THE LIGHT WINDS...MON NIGHT/TUE MORNING LOWS WILL BE THE COLDEST OF THE WEEK...WITH LOWS RANGING FROM THE TEENS INTO THE LOW AND MID 20S. THE FORECAST WILL REMAIN DRY INTO THE LONG TERM PERIOD...WITH NO MOISTURE RETURN EXPECTED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY PROGRESSIVE WEST/NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BE NOTED THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD. SEVERAL STRONG CLIPPER SYSTEMS WILL BYPASS THE STATE WELL TO THE NORTH...WITH SOME ARCTIC AIR TRAVERSING THE NORTHERN PLAINS...UPPER MIDWEST AND THE GREAT LAKES. AROUND HERE...IT WILL BE MILD AND MOSTLY DRY WITH WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. TOWARD THE END OF THE PERIOD...ONE OF THE CLIPPERS WILL DRAG A COLD FRONT INTO THE REGION. THE FRONT WILL ARRIVE LATE FRIDAY OR SATURDAY...AND WILL BRING SMALL CHANCES FOR SHOWERS. COOLER AIR WILL RESIDE BEHIND THE FRONT...BUT THIS WILL NOT BE REALIZED UNTIL AFTER THE PERIOD IS OVER. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 63 40 51 28 / 10 10 0 0 CAMDEN AR 68 43 59 31 / 10 10 10 0 HARRISON AR 63 36 47 25 / 10 10 0 0 HOT SPRINGS AR 67 40 55 29 / 10 10 0 0 LITTLE ROCK AR 69 41 56 29 / 10 10 0 0 MONTICELLO AR 68 45 59 31 / 10 10 10 0 MOUNT IDA AR 66 39 54 28 / 10 10 0 0 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 65 38 48 26 / 10 10 0 0 NEWPORT AR 61 41 52 29 / 10 10 0 0 PINE BLUFF AR 68 43 57 30 / 10 10 10 0 RUSSELLVILLE AR 68 38 53 27 / 10 10 0 0 SEARCY AR 65 39 53 27 / 10 10 0 0 STUTTGART AR 66 41 55 29 / 10 10 10 0 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST SUNDAY FOR BAXTER-BOONE- CLEBURNE-CONWAY-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-INDEPENDENCE-IZARD- JACKSON-JOHNSON-LOGAN-LONOKE-MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON- PERRY-POLK-POPE-PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE- VAN BUREN-WHITE-WOODRUFF-YELL. && AVIATION...64
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 755 PM CST SAT DEC 31 2011 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-011100- 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- 755 PM CST SAT DEC 31 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT BREEZY SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING OVER NORTHERN AND WESTERN ARKANSAS. THESE BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL EVENTUALLY SPREAD TO THE SOUTH AND EAST DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOUR AS LOW PRESSURE PASSES TO OUR NORTH AND A STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. GUSTS WILL REACH 30 TO 40 MPH IN PLACES AND A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST IN THE WAKE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONT AS IT PUSHES THROUGH THE STATE. WILL REMAIN BREEZY BEHIND THE BOUNDARY AS COLDER AIR RETURNS TO THE NATURAL STATE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH NOON SUNDAY AND BEGIN TO SUBSIDE AFTER THAT AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES IN AND THE PRESSURE GRADIENT RELAXES. AS SUCH...THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE UNTIL NOON. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 56
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain fell through November and December, causing the Cache River at Patterson to rise above flood stage from mid November through early January.
Heavy rain fell through November and December, causing the White River at Augusta to rise above flood stage from late November through early January.
Heavy rain fell through November and December, causing the White River at Clarendon to rise above flood stage from late November through early January.
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, January 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: 356803, 356804, 356805.