Meager rainfall during the first part of March resulted in severe drought developing in part of Pike County.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
Meager rainfall during the first part of March resulted in severe drought developing in part of Pike County.
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 19, 5:20 AM CST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE FOR AVIATION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 620 AM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 .AVIATION... OVERALL VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND VARIABLE OR A LIGHT N TO NE FLOW THIS MORNING...THEN BECOMING NE TO E AT 5 TO 12 KNOTS. (59) && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 308 AM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013/ .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT DRIER AND COOLER AIR HAS MOVED INTO THE STATE OVERNIGHT BEHIND THE COLD FRONT THAT MOVED OUT OF THE STATE MON AFTERNOON. TEMPS ACROSS THE STATE THIS MORNING RANGED FROM THE UPPER 20S AND LOW 30S ACROSS NRN AND NWRN SECTIONS OF THE STATE...TO THE 40S ELSEWHERE...UNDER A CLEAR SKY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE SE FROM THE PLAINS INTO THE MID MS RIVER VALLEY REGION OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS...KEEPING CONDITIONS DRY FOR THE MOST PART. NEAR NORMAL TEMPS WILL BE SEEN THIS AFTERNOON...WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPS EXPECTED ON WED AS A REINFORCING SHOT OF COLD DRY AIR MOVES SOUTH INTO THE STATE. FORECAST BECOMES MUCH MORE INTERESTING FOR THE REST OF THE SHORT TERM PERIOD WITH THE APPROACH OF THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM... SFC LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE PANHANDLES OF TX/OK LATE WED NIGHT INTO THU AS AN UPPER LEVEL WAVE MOVES ACROSS THE SRN ROCKIES. MOISTURE WILL BEGIN LIFTING NORTH FROM THE GULF INTO AR DURING THE DAY ON THU. EXPECT PRECIP TO DEVELOP ACROSS FAR WRN AND NWRN SECTIONS OF THE STATE DURING THE LATE MORNING PERIOD...THEN SPREAD OVER THE NRN HALF OF THE STATE DURING THE AFTERNOON PERIOD. AS THIS PRECIP FALLS...IT WILL FALL INTO MUCH DRIER AIR NEAR THE SFC. TEMPS WILL LIKELY PEAK DURING THE MORNING HRS ACROSS NRN SECTIONS OF THE STATE...BEFORE EVAPORATE COOLING DROPS TEMPS DURING THE AFTERNOON HRS. AS THIS HAPPENS...FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST A PERIOD OF A RAIN/SLEET/SNOW MIX ACROSS THE NRN COUNTIES DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON PERIOD...BUT AS TIME GOES ON THE COLUMN WILL COOL ENOUGH ALOFT TO BECOME ALL SNOW. THERE WILL LIKELY STILL BE SOME ABOVE FREEZING AIR NEAR THE SFC DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HRS TO SEE A RAIN/SNOW MIX ACROSS THIS PORTION OF THE STATE. HOWEVER...SOME OF THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS COULD SEE A PERIOD OF ALL SNOW. BY THU EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...WARMING ALOFT WILL LIKELY CHANGE THE PRECIP BACK TO A MIX OF SLEET/FREEZING RAIN/SNOW/RAIN ACROSS THE NRN SECTIONS OF THE STATE AS THE SFC LOW MOVES CLOSER TO AR. SRN AND MUCH OF CENTRAL AR SHOULD SEE MAINLY RAIN...BUT PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AR COULD SEE A MIX EARLY THU AND LATE THU NIGHT INTO FRI MORNING. THIS SFC LOW WILL THEN TRACK EAST SOUTH OF AR FRI AND FRI NIGHT...WITH POTENTIAL FOR WINTRY PRECIP CONTINUING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE STATE. THIS AGAIN WILL BE LIMITED TO THE NRN AND NERN SECTIONS OF THE CWA. ELSEWHERE...MAINLY RAIN IS EXPECTED. WILL NOTE THAT MUCH OF THE FORECAST HAS BEEN BASED ON A BLEND OF THE ECMWF...NAM AND CMC DUE THE REASONABLE RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY OF EACH THE LAST DAY OR TWO. HAVE RELIED LESS ON THE GFS AT THIS POINT BECAUSE OF THE MORE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN TRACK AND THERMAL PROFILE COMPARED TO THE OTHER MODEL SOLUTIONS. AS IN MANY CASES WITH WINTER WX...ANY CHANGES IN TRACK AND THERMAL PROFILE COULD ALTER THE FORECAST SIGNIFICANTLY. WITH THIS IN MIND...AND DUE TO THE CONTINUED UNCERTAINTY IN THE DETAILS...WILL LIKELY SEE CONTINUED ADJUSTMENTS IN THE COMING 24-72 HRS REGARDING WHERE AND HOW MUCH WINTER WX PRECIP WILL BE SEEN ACROSS THE CWA. && .LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY MODEL INCONSISTENCIES REMAIN IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST AND CONFIDENCE IS BELOW AVERAGE. PRECIPITATION WILL BE ON GOING SATURDAY MORNING AND WITH TEMPS AROUND FREEZING OVER FAR NORTHERN AREAS...A MIX OF RAIN AND FREEZING DRIZZLE OR LIGHT FREEZING RAIN WILL BE IN THE FORECAST SATURDAY MORNING. TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO WARM BY MID MORNING AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN WILL BE OVER MUCH OF AR ON SATURDAY. SATURDAY NIGHT TO SUNDAY...LIGHT PRECIPITATION CONTINUES AND GRADUALLY TEMPS LOWER TO AROUND FREEZING AGAIN OVER NORTHERN AR AND A WINTER PRECIP MIX IS IN THE FORECAST. WINTER PRECIP AMOUNTS ARE QUITE UNCERTAIN AND THEIR IMPACT AND FUTURE MODEL RUNS WILL FINE TUNE THE EVENT. CONDITIONS DRY OUT SUNDAY AS THE SOUTHERN SYSTEM MOVES FARTHER EAST AND TAKES THE MOISTURE WITH IT TO THE EAST. TEMPS WILL BE BELOW NORMAL SUNDAY TO MONDAY WITH OVERALL DRY WEATHER. THE EURO MODEL HAS THE BEST OVERALL PATTERN SCENARIO...WHILE THE GFS WARMS TEMPS WELL ABOVE FREEZING AS IT HAS A BUILDING RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. AT THIS TIME IT LOOKS TO BE THE OUTLIER AND FORECAST WILL BE CLOSER TO EURO. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 60 36 57 34 / 10 10 10 10 CAMDEN AR 68 44 67 41 / 0 10 10 10 HARRISON AR 60 34 52 32 / 10 10 10 10 HOT SPRINGS AR 66 40 62 37 / 10 10 10 10 LITTLE ROCK AR 65 40 63 38 / 10 10 10 10 MONTICELLO AR 67 44 66 41 / 0 10 10 10 MOUNT IDA AR 66 39 61 37 / 10 10 10 10 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 60 34 53 33 / 10 10 10 10 NEWPORT AR 61 37 57 35 / 10 10 10 10 PINE BLUFF AR 66 42 64 40 / 0 10 10 10 RUSSELLVILLE AR 64 37 59 36 / 10 10 10 10 SEARCY AR 63 38 60 36 / 10 10 10 10 STUTTGART AR 64 40 62 39 / 10 10 10 10 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...62 / LONG TERM...59
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 500 AM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-201000- 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 TUE MAR 19 2013 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...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY RAIN CHANCES WILL RETURN TO ARKANSAS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH THE NEXT SYSTEM. THERE WILL BE SOME WINTER PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTH THURSDAY MORNING AND AGAIN LATE THURSDAY NIGHT TO FRIDAY. AT THIS TIME UNCERTAINTY DOES REMAIN IN THE FORECAST ON THE IMPACTS OF THE WINTER WEATHER...AND LATER FORECASTS WILL FINE TUNE THE CHANCE AND THE EXTENT OF THE WINTER WEATHER OVER NORTHERN ARKANSAS. THE CHANCE OF RAIN CONTINUES INTO SATURDAY AND GRADUALLY MOVES EAST OF THE STATE EARLY SUNDAY. .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. 59
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe drought developed in southwestern Pike County soon after the middle of March.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, March 2013
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: 432027.