The passage of Tropical Depression Isaac made a significant dent in the drought over most of Arkansas at the beginning of September. Through the remainder of the month, occasional cold fronts bringing showers and thunderstorms brought continued relief from the drought in many areas.
Every event with a place to put it; 34 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.
The passage of Tropical Depression Isaac made a significant dent in the drought over most of Arkansas at the beginning of September. Through the remainder of the month, occasional cold fronts bringing showers and thunderstorms brought continued relief from the drought in many areas.
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 Aug 31, 11:22 PM CST, 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1222 AM CDT SAT SEP 1 2012 .AVIATION... PRECIPITATION IN THE BANS SURROUNDING ISAAC WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF LATER TONIGHT. VFR CONDITIONS WILL MOSTLY PREVAIL...WITH SOME MVFR CONDITIONS IN THE NORTH EARLY THIS MORNING. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO GUST AT 15 TO 25 KNOTS...MAINLY DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 903 PM CDT FRI AUG 31 2012/ DISCUSSION... LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES WHATS LEFT OF ISAAC OVER WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI AND IS FORECAST TO DRIFT VERY SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE NIGHT. A STRONG BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED EARLIER THIS EVENING OVER THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE STATE BUT HAVE NOW CROSSED THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. HOWEVER...ANOTHER LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO DEVELOP ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE. THIS LINE IS MUCH MORE SCATTERED IN NATURE BUT WILL BRING ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO EASTERN AND CENTRAL SECTIONS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THE THREAT OF WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED AND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED A FEW HOURS EARLY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CAN NOT BE DISCOUNTED HOWEVER. WINDS HAVE ALSO FALLEN BELOW LAKE WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA AND THAT HAS BEEN CANCELED. CURRENTLY NO WATCHES OR ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT WITH THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR PARTS OF THE EAST EXPIRING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HOUR. OTHER FORECAST PARAMETERS TWEAKED BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS. ALL PRODUCTS OUT. && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && AVIATION...57
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 920 PM CDT FRI AUG 31 2012 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- 920 PM CDT FRI AUG 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT REMNANTS OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION ISAAC WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH THROUGH MISSOURI TONIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER MUCH OF ARKANSAS THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TOTALS OF ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. ALSO...ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE COMMON SURROUNDING A TROPICAL SYSTEM. THOUGH THE OVERALL THREAT FOR TORNADOES IS LOW...THE GREATEST CHANCES OF SEEING AN ISOLATED TORNADO WOULD BE PRIMARILY EAST OF A LINE FROM CHEROKEE VILLAGE TO AUGUSTA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY REMNANTS OF ISAAC WILL CONTINUE MOVING OUT OF THE REGION ON SATURDAY. HOWEVER...LINGERING MOISTURE WILL ALLOW FOR A CONTINUED CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN MUCH OF THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE AREA ON SATURDAY. WARM AND DRY WEATHER WILL RETURN TO THE AREA BY EARLY NEXT WEEK... BEFORE A FRONTAL BOUNDARY APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST BY MID-WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... DUE TO THE LOW TORNADO THREAT...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 57/51
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
954 PM CDT FRI AUG 31 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0200 PM FLASH FLOOD ENGLAND 34.54N 91.97W
08/31/2012 LONOKE AR EMERGENCY MNGR
SEVERAL CITY STREETS HAD MINOR FLOODING. SEVERAL HOMES
AND ONE CHURCH OFF HWY 165 COMING INTO ENGLAND HAD WATER
UP TO THE DOORS. ENGLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT DISMISSED
STUDENTS EARLY DUE TO THE HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS.
SEVERAL OTHER STREETS, HWY 31,HWY 15, AND HWY 13 HAD
REPORTS OF FLOODING.
&&
224PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1128 PM CDT FRI AUG 31 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0940 PM LIGHTNING LAKE NORRELL 34.72N 92.65W
08/31/2012 SALINE AR FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
LIGHTNING CAUSED A HOUSE FIRE. THERE WAS SOME DAMAGE TO
THE ROOF.
&&
57The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
45 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Boone County. Conditions changed little during the month. At the end of the month, exceptional drought covered all of the county, except for the extreme north, where extreme drought existed.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Marion County. Conditions changed little during the month. At the end of the month, exceptional drought covered all of the county, except for the extreme north, where extreme drought existed.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Baxter County. Conditions changed little during the month. At the end of the month, exceptional drought covered all of the county, except for the north, where extreme drought existed.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Fulton County. Conditions improved considerably during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought prevailed in sections of western and southern Fulton County, with severe drought over the remainder of the county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Sharp County. Conditions improved considerably during the month. At the end of the month, severe drought prevailed across the county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Izard County. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, exceptional drought covered the western part of the county, with extreme drought elsewhere.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Stone County. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, exceptional drought covered the northwestern part of the county, with extreme drought elsewhere.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Newton County. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, exceptional drought covered the northern half of the county, with extreme drought over the southern half.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Searcy County. Conditions improved slightly during the month. At the end of the month, exceptional drought covered most of the county, with extreme drought over the southern part of the county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Johnson County. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered the entire county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Pope County. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered the county, except for the extreme south where severe drought prevailed.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Van Buren County. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered the county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Cleburne County. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered the county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Independence County. Conditions improved during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered the northwestern corner of the county, with severe drought elsewhere.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Jackson County. Conditions improved considerably during the month. At the end of the month, severe drought prevailed over the county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Conway County. Conditions improved during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered the northern and central parts of the county, with severe drought in the southern part.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Faulkner County. Conditions improved during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered all but the southwestern part of the county, where severe drought prevailed.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of White County. Conditions improved during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered the western part of the county, with severe drought elsewhere.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Woodruff County, except for the southeast where extreme drought prevailed. Conditions improved considerably during the month. At the end of the month, severe drought covered the county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered eastern Logan County, with extreme drought in the west. Conditions improved during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered most of the county, except for the southeast, where severe drought prevailed.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Yell County, except for the southwestern corner, where extreme drought existed. Conditions improved during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought prevailed in the northern tip of the county and in the extreme south, with severe drought elsewhere.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought covered most of Scott County, except for the extreme eastern part of the county, where exceptional drought prevailed. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought prevailed over all but the northeastern corner of the county, where severe drought existed.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought covered most of Polk County, except for the southwestern corner of the county, where severe drought prevailed. At the end of the month, extreme drought prevailed over the entire county.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought covered most of Montgomery County, except for the northeastern corner of the county, where exceptional drought prevailed. Conditions changed little during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought prevailed over the entire county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered all of Perry County. Conditions improved significantly during the month. At the end of the month, severe drought prevailed over the entire county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered the northern part of Garland County, with extreme drought elsewhere. Conditions improved slightly during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought prevailed over the entire county.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered most of Saline County, except for the south, where extreme drought existed. Conditions improved during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought prevailed over most of the county, except for the extreme north and southern edge, where severe drought existed.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered most of Pulaski County, except for the extreme south, where extreme drought existed. Conditions improved during the month. At the end of the month, severe drought covered much of the northern part of the county and the extreme south, with extreme drought elsewhere.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered northern and central parts of Lonoke County, with extreme drought in the south. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered most of the county. In the south, severe drought prevailed, tapering off to only abnormally dry in the extreme south.
At the beginning of September, exceptional drought covered the northwestern half of Prairie County, with extreme drought over the southeastern half. Conditions improved significantly during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought covered the northwestern corner of the county. Severe drought existed in most other sections, except in the south, where moderate drought generally prevailed. In the extreme south, conditions were only abnormally dry.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought covered most of Monroe County, except for the southern tip, where severe drought existed. Conditions improved significantly during the month. At the end of the month, severe drought existed in the northern part of the county, with only moderate drought elsewhere.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought covered all of Hot Spring County. Conditions improved during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought prevailed over the northern tip and the west, with severe drought elsewhere.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought covered northern and central parts of Grant County, with severe drought elsewhere. Conditions improved during the month. At the end of the month, severe drought prevailed over most of the county, except in the southeast, where the drought was generally moderate. In the extreme southeast, conditions had improved to just abnormally dry.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought covered the northern part of Jefferson County, with severe drought elsewhere. Conditions improved considerably during the month. At the end of the month, severe drought covered only the northwestern tip of the county. In parts of the west, conditions had improved to moderate drought. Elsewhere, there was even more improvement with conditions being only abnormally dry.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought covered the northern part of Arkansas County, with severe drought elsewhere. Conditions improved considerably early in the month, leaving moderate drought over the eastern part of the county, and only abnormally dry conditions elsewhere.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought covered all of Pike County, except for the southeastern tip, where severe drought prevailed. Conditions changed little during the month.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought covered the northern half of Clark County, with severe drought in the south. Conditions improved somewhat during the month. At the end of the month, extreme drought prevailed in the northwestern part of the county, and severe drought existed over a large part of the county. The south had improved to only moderate drought.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought existed over the northwestern tip of Dallas County, with severe drought elsewhere. Conditions improved considerably during the month. At the end of the month, severe drought prevailed in the northwestern part of the county, and conditions elsewhere had improved to only moderate drought.
At the beginning of September, severe drought covered Cleveland County. Conditions improved considerably early in the month, leaving moderate drought over much of the county. Parts of the north and east had improved to just abnormally dry.
At the beginning of September, severe drought covered Lincoln County. Conditions improved considerably early in the month, leaving moderate drought over the southern part of the county. Conditions elsewhere had improved to just abnormally dry.
At the beginning of September, severe drought covered the western half of Desha County. Moderate drought existed elsewhere, except for a couple of spots near the Mississippi River, where conditions were just abnormally dry. Conditions improved early in the month. At the end of the month, the northwestern half of the county was experiencing moderate drought, while the southeastern half was only abnormally dry.
At the beginning of September, extreme drought exited in southeastern Ouachita County. Most other parts of the county were in severe drought, except for the southwestern corner, where the drought was only moderate. Conditions improved considerably during the first part of the month. At the end of the month, most of the county was experiencing moderate drought, except for the extreme south, where conditions were only abnormally dry.
At the beginning of September, severe drought covered the northern half of Calhoun County, while extreme drought existed in the southern half. Conditions improved considerably during the first half of the month. At the end of the month, only moderate drought existed across the county.
At the beginning of September, severe drought covered Bradley County, except for the western part of the county, where extreme drought existed. Conditions improved considerably during the first half of the month. At the end of the month, only moderate drought existed across the county.
At the beginning of September, severe drought covered Drew County. Conditions improved considerably during the first half of the month. At the end of the month, moderate drought covered most of the county, except for the southeastern corner, where conditions were only abnormally dry.
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, September 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: 406278, 406279, 406280, 406281, 406282, 406284, 406285, 406286, 406287, 406288, 406290, 406291, 406292, 406293, 406294, 406296, 406297, 406298, 406299, 406300, 406303, 406306, 406307, 406308, 406309, 406310, 406311, 406312, 406313, 406314, 406315, 406316, 406317, 406318, 406319, 406320, 406321, 406322, 406323, 406324, and more.