An upper level disturbance brought heavy showers and embedded thunderstorms that produced flash flooding across portions of northeast Arkansas during the early morning hours of August 19th.
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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.
An upper level disturbance brought heavy showers and embedded thunderstorms that produced flash flooding across portions of northeast Arkansas during the early morning hours of August 19th.
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 Aug 19, 5:28 AM CST, 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Memphis TN 628 AM CDT FRI AUG 19 2016 .UPDATE... Updated to add 12Z Aviation Discussion. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 306 AM CDT FRI AUG 19 2016/ DISCUSSION... A deep tropical moisture feed tapping both tropical East Pacific and Gulf moisture continues to stream across the Mid South. This persistent moisture axis will remain over the forecast region into the weekend until a stronger northern stream shortwave and associated cold front sweeps through the region clearing the deep moisture southeast. A series of shortwave disturbances embedded within this southwest moist flow aloft will continue the numerous to widespread showers and thunderstorms across the Mid South today. Temperatures should be held below seasonal averages again today due to widespread cloud cover and rain coverage. The stronger northern stream shortwave trough will swing across the Lower and Middle Mississippi Valleys Saturday and Saturday night and the Ohio Valley Sunday. This should help to push the cold front into the area later Saturday night and Sunday. Overall instability should increase in association with the trough along with increased deep layer shear across the northern half of the area. Mid level lapse rates steepen to around 6.5 C/KM and shear of around 30 kts north of Interstate 40 by Saturday afternoon and evening. This may support a few strong to isolated severe storms during this time period. Strong gusty winds and heavy rainfall appears the be the greatest hazards. Plan to continue mention in the latest hazardous weather outlook. High pressure will build into the region behind the cold front later Sunday and Sunday night. This should finally usher in a drier and less humid airmass. In fact...it should feel more like late September as compared to late August. Temperatures should remain below normal along with dewpoints dropping into the upper 50s north to low/middle 60s south. This early taste of fall like weather will continue through the first part of next week. The surface high pressure will move east by the middle of next week with a return of southerly flow and much higher humidity levels. Temperatures should return to near normal levels for the middle to end of next week. Increased moisture and a series of shortwaves will bring a return to scattered showers and thunderstorms for the end of the extended forecast period. JLH && .AVIATION... 12Z TAF cycle Several subtle mid level shortwave troughs will be the focus for showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms today. Have mentioned VCTS at MEM/JBR/TUP with prevailing rain showers. MVFR conditions possible this morning at MKL. Otherwise, VFR conditions anticipated to prevail for much of the period with light south winds. CJC && .MEG Watches/Warnings/Advisories... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 443 AM CDT FRI AUG 19 2016 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>092-201145- ALCORN-BENTON MS-BENTON TN-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- 443 AM CDT FRI AUG 19 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL TODAY. THIS MAY LEAD TO ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING IN AREAS THAT RECEIVE THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE MID SOUTH WILL REMAIN UNDER AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A FEW STRONG TO ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40...SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL BE STRONG TO DAMAGING WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. JLH
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 134 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:43 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water rose to near entrances into businesses in town. Midway Road near Hoxie flooded with many areas in and near Hoxie flooded. In addition a County Official reported numerous streets in Walnut Ridge were underwater.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, August 2016
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: 650951.