A weak frontal boundary moved into Southeast Oklahoma and Southwest Arkansas from the north during the early morning hours of August 23rd. Upper level impulses in the northwest flow aloft interacted with ample low level moisture and forcing near the frontal boundary to produce showers and thunderstorms over much of Southeast Oklahoma and Southwest Arkansas.
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The episode as NWS SHV wrote it up.
A weak frontal boundary moved into Southeast Oklahoma and Southwest Arkansas from the north during the early morning hours of August 23rd. Upper level impulses in the northwest flow aloft interacted with ample low level moisture and forcing near the frontal boundary to produce showers and thunderstorms over much of Southeast Oklahoma and Southwest Arkansas. These storms produced locally heavy rainfall and continued to redevelop over the same areas of Central Howard County Arkansas, where high water was reported over roadways in the Center Point community.
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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 23, 5:45 AM CST, 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Shreveport LA 645 AM CDT Wed Aug 23 2017 .AVIATION... A cold front moving south across the region will maintain a chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms across area terminals today. Low VFR ceilings expected during the afternoon with bases around 4-5Kft. Otherwise, convection to diminish behind the front late this afternoon with low ceilings dissipating and northeast winds prevailing around 5 to 7 knots through the remainder of the forecast period. /05/ && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 532 AM CDT Wed Aug 23 2017/ DISCUSSION... Clouds are increasing overhead along and North of I-20. Recent radar coverage over S AR has diminished a bit, but the frontal boundary is holding on too heavier elements in Howard Co. Overall, recent coverage is increasing over southeast OK and northeast TX. Both rain areas appear to be associated with old MCVs along the front and thus the sustained convection areas. Northerly surface winds are filtering across the I-30 corridor at this time. SE winds or calm prevails ahead of the southward sinking boundary. HRRR is lacking luster and other models are all over the place with QPF making a likely area difficult to pinpoint so as a result 50 pops are widespread between both 6 hr periods of pop while still sinking southward. Water vapor is showing the upper ridge out West and the long wave trough over the Great Lakes and Midwest with NW flow aloft. Low levels winds are light, but light NW flow can be found at cirrus level on our 06Z sounding. Storm motion is quite slow and could bring some heavy downpours in this process as heating enhances lift and likewise rainfall amounts coming this afternoon, spotty as it is modeled to be today. The front will wash out as it works southward over the next day with movement very slow for areas South of I-20 as rain chances will be lingering along the soon to be stationary boundary. By Friday rain areas will begin to move back to the Northeast as the tropical push over the W Gulf surges copious amounts of PWAT as Harvey lumbers Northward. The spaghetti model plots have shifted landfall more toward the middle Texas coastal bend over the last day or so. The 00Z long range models are along the same lines, but with varied paces. Obviously this would bring a greater flooding threat to many areas in TX and LA. The WPC has some hefty totals of 5-10 or more inches in the 5 and 7 day outlooks. Meanwhile, the surface high over the NE U.S. increases in strength and will be holding back moisture along the fringe and possibly affecting how much moves Northward out of the Gulf. As depicted by WPC, we will be seeing a huge gradient of total amounts in the ArkLaTex. Most of this rainfall will be south of I-20 in general. The 23/06Z run of the Euro is now looping Harvey along the LA coast into midweek while the GFS remains much more progressive for our area anyway. /24/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 93 72 87 71 / 50 30 20 10 MLU 90 70 87 69 / 50 30 20 10 DEQ 87 67 85 64 / 50 20 10 10 TXK 89 69 85 67 / 50 30 10 10 ELD 88 69 86 66 / 50 20 10 10 TYR 92 73 87 71 / 50 30 30 20 GGG 92 73 87 70 / 50 30 20 10 LFK 94 75 89 73 / 40 30 30 30 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. LA...None. OK...None. TX...None. && 05/24
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Shreveport LA 629 AM CDT Wed Aug 23 2017 ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077- TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-241130- Sevier-Howard-Little River-Hempstead-Nevada-Miller-Lafayette- Columbia-Union-Caddo-Bossier-Webster-Claiborne-Lincoln-De Soto- Red River-Bienville-Jackson-Ouachita-Sabine-Natchitoches-Winn- Grant-Caldwell-La Salle-McCurtain-Bowie-Franklin-Titus-Camp- Morris-Cass-Wood-Upshur-Marion-Smith-Gregg-Harrison-Cherokee-Rusk- Panola-Nacogdoches-Shelby-Angelina-San Augustine- 629 AM CDT Wed Aug 23 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southern Arkansas, for northern Louisiana, for eastern Texas and southeast Oklahoma. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight... Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue this morning North of I-20, slowly shifting southward this afternoon with a weak cold front which is already approaching I-20. Some of these storms could produce gusty winds, frequent lightning and heavy downpours. The slow movement of this activity will allow for some isolated high rain totals with localized flooding possible. Overnight, thunderstorm activity will continue sinking South of I-20. No other hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday... Thunderstorms will continue to shift well south of I-20 for Thursday, but begin to lift back northward on Friday. Meanwhile, the remnant of Harvey is out over open water in the Bay of Campeche. Harvey still has a very high chance of regaining tropical storm status in the Western Gulf before making landfall on the upper Texas coastal bend. Harvey is modeled to move northeastward into East Texas and South Louisiana this weekend. At this time, rainfall amounts of one to four inches are expected in our area, with much higher amounts possible near the center. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Activation of emergency management personnel, amateur radio operators and storm spotters will not be needed through tonight. 24
The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 145 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:00 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
High water covered the intersection of Highway 278 and Highway 26.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, August 2017
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: 708659.