A prolonged dry spell during the latter part of the summer produced severe (D2) drought conditions across portions of East-Central Arkansas by the beginning of September. However, drought conditions improved by the latter part of the month as several periods of rain occurred from passing cold fronts.
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 MEG wrote it up.
A prolonged dry spell during the latter part of the summer produced severe (D2) drought conditions across portions of East-Central Arkansas by the beginning of September. However, drought conditions improved by the latter part of the month as several periods of rain occurred from passing cold fronts. Little damage occurred to crops as crops were being harvested at the time. Cattle possibly had a hard time finding adequate water sources as lake and river levels were low.
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 Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 3, 5:39 AM CST, 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 639 AM CDT TUE SEP 3 2013 .UPDATE... UPDATED FOR AVIATION. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 348 AM CDT TUE SEP 3 2013/ DISCUSSION...08Z SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT ACROSS NORTHERN GEORGIA...ALABAMA...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN OCCURRING ALONG THIS FRONT OVERNIGHT. TEMPERATURES AS OF 3 AM CDT RANGE FROM THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 60S ACROSS FAR NORTHWEST TENNESSEE...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...AND NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...AND LOWER 70S ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-40. SHORT TERM CONVECTIVE TRENDS IS THE PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERN IN THIS MORNING/S FORECAST ISSUANCE. A WEAK AND SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT CURRENTLY LOCATED ACROSS SOUTHERN ARKANSAS AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTH TO CENTRAL/SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI BY THIS AFTERNOON. SHORT TERM CONVECTIVE TRENDS SUGGEST A POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO STILL DEVELOP ALONG THIS BOUNDARY THIS MORNING. A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OR TWO CONTAINING GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE UNTIL THE FRONT PROGRESSES SOUTH OF THE AREA AS SURFACE BASED CAPES MAY APPROACH 2000 J/KG BY LATE MORNING AND PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES WILL REMAIN HIGH AROUND 2 INCHES. AS THE FRONT MOVES SOUTH AWAY FROM NORTH MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON...A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE MID SOUTH AND PERSIST THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL RESULT IN MAINLY RAIN FREE WEATHER AND A RETURN OF LOWER RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES AND SLIGHTLY COOLER NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR SEPTEMBER. CJC && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS DIFFUSE SURFACE COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM MEM TO MKL AT 11Z. THIS FRONT SHOULD PUSH SOUTH WITH ONSET OF DAYTIME MIXING... EXITING THE TUP AREA BY 18Z. IN THE INTERIM... PATCHY AREAS MVFR VSBY WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR AND SOUTH OF THE COLD FRONT THROUGH 14Z. VFR WILL PREVAIL THEREAFTER. PWB && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 88 68 89 66 / 0 0 0 0 MKL 85 60 86 59 / 0 0 0 0 JBR 87 61 87 60 / 0 0 0 0 TUP 89 66 90 64 / 10 0 0 0 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 349 AM CDT TUE SEP 3 2013 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-041215- ALCORN-BENTON MS-CALHOUN-CARROLL-CHESTER-CHICKASAW-CLAY-COAHOMA- CRAIGHEAD-CRITTENDEN-CROCKETT-CROSS-DESOTO-DECATUR-DUNKLIN-DYER- FAYETTE-GIBSON-GREENE-HARDEMAN-HARDIN-HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-HENRY- ITAWAMBA-LAFAYETTE-LAKE-LAUDERDALE-LAWRENCE-LEE AR-LEE MS-MADISON- MARSHALL-MCNAIRY-MISSISSIPPI-MONROE-OBION-PANOLA-PEMISCOT- PHILLIPS-POINSETT-PONTOTOC-PRENTISS-QUITMAN-RANDOLPH-SHELBY- ST. FRANCIS-TALLAHATCHIE-TATE-TIPPAH-TIPTON-TISHOMINGO-TUNICA- UNION-WEAKLEY-YALOBUSHA- 349 AM CDT TUE SEP 3 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OR TWO CONTAINING GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH MISSISSIPPI THIS MORNING...MAINLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CLARKSDALE MISSISSIPPI TO TUPELO MISSISSIPPI. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe (D2) drought conditions occurred in Phillips County.
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, September 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: 474783.