Dry conditions have persisted over much of Arkansas during the last three months (September, October, November). Much of the state was running less than 50 percent of normal rainfall for the month, and for the fall season (September 1 - November 30).
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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.
Dry conditions have persisted over much of Arkansas during the last three months (September, October, November). Much of the state was running less than 50 percent of normal rainfall for the month, and for the fall season (September 1 - November 30). November 2017, and the fall of 2017 are the driest on record in several localities across the state. This dry period has resulted in the development of severe to extreme drought conditions across the state.
As of November 30th, there was a high wildfire danger across all of Arkansas due to dry vegetation and soil moisture conditions across the state. Streamflow along area tributaries was below normal at most sites, but was especially low in the southern and western portions of the state. The impacts of drought on agriculture are difficult to measure at this time of year when the vegetation is normally dormant anyways. If drought conditions persist into the spring and growing season, economic impacts will likely be steep.
November 2017 was the driest November on record at the following stations: North Little Rock, Little Rock Air Force Base, and Monticello.
Fall of 2017 was the driest on record for the following locations: Pine Bluff, North Little Rock, Russellville, Little Rock Air Force Base, Calico Rock 2 WSW, Mount Ida, and Monticello.
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 Nov 6, 11:38 PM CST, 22 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Little Rock AR 1138 PM CST Mon Nov 6 2017 .DISCUSSION... Updated to include the 06Z aviation discussion below... && .AVIATION... The cold front will remain near the Louisiana border through the period. Fog and drizzle are expected overnight with low ceilings and visibilities. LIFR conditions are expected. Conditions will improve Tuesday afternoon. && PREV DISCUSSION...(ISSUED 258 PM CST Mon Nov 6 2017) SHORT TERM...Tonight Through Wednesday Night Thunderstorms that had developed after daybreak this morning had moved out of the area by early afternoon. Only a few lingering showers and storms remain nearby along the Missouri/Tennessee border where additional activity formed along another boundary across northern AR later in the morning. Widespread cloud cover in place and a cold front, nearly stationary, currently analyzed along a DeQueen to Fordyce to Star City line. Quite the temperature contrast seen today, with temps across N AR in the lower 50s while the southern two rows of counties have climbed into the lower 80s. Will see drizzle and some light rain possibly tonight with fog expected to develop as well. Will continue to see the front slowly sag south with time and temperatures on Tuesday will still show some division from north to south, but todays 80s in southern Arkansas will be replaced with 60s tomorrow. Widespread cloud cover will linger through the short term period of the forecast. Periods of rain will also be seen as a few weak disturbances traverse the area in the zonal flow from west to east. A more robust system will approach Wednesday bringing even better rain chances along with it, especially to southern and southwestern areas. Even cooler air will be seen on Wednesday, with temperatures likely holding in the upper 40s to lower 50s for highs statewide. As clouds begin to break and rain chances shift south Wednesday night, drier air will filter in and temperatures will fall to below normal values. LONG TERM...Thursday Through Monday Wednesday Night...An upper level trough is expected to have already pushed southeast of Arkansas leaving large scale forcing for subsidence in its wake as a large scale upper level ridge builds east over the region. An upper level cold front will be making its final push across the state with rain chances diminishing from north to south Wednesday evening and overnight. Much drier air will be in place across Arkansas behind this front and will lead to a dry forecast for the remainder of the week. With a cool and dry air mass in place across the state and upper level ridging in control of the weather pattern...expect mostly clear skies Thursday and Friday with highs in the mid to upper 50s and lows in the mid to upper 30s. A few locations may see the temperature fall below freezing Thursday night/Friday morning across the northern part of the state. This weekend...The GFS and ECMWF both agree that a strong shortwave trough will move through the generally anticyclonic flow aloft and bring another cold front with rain chances across the state this weekend. These models do not agree on when this will occur. The GFS moves this system through Saturday afternoon and evening while the ECMWF holds the system off until Sunday. Confidence in this system affecting the state this weekend is high...but confidence in its exact timing is low at this time. As a result...have low rain chances in the forecast for much of the state through the weekend. This is misleading though because it will not rain all weekend... confidence is simply low on exactly when the front will move through and when those best rain chances will occur. As confidence increases in the timing of this storm system...rain chances will be increased and removed as appropriate. The important message is that there will be some scattered showers along a front this weekend...but it will not be a complete wash out. Highs will remain seasonably cool with highs in the upper 50s to lower 60s and lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s. && .LZK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...NONE. && Aviation...51
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Little Rock AR 306 AM CST Mon Nov 6 2017 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-071100- Boone-Marion-Baxter-Fulton-Sharp-Newton-Searcy-Stone-Izard- Independence-Johnson-Pope-Van Buren-Cleburne-Jackson-Logan-Conway- Faulkner-White-Woodruff-Scott-Yell-Perry-Polk-Montgomery-Garland- Saline-Pulaski-Lonoke-Prairie-Monroe-Pike-Clark-Hot Spring-Grant- Jefferson-Arkansas-Dallas-Cleveland-Lincoln-Desha-Ouachita- Calhoun-Bradley-Drew- 306 AM CST Mon Nov 6 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for a Large Part of Arkansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight The cold front will continue to move south into southern sections of the state this afternoon. An isolated thunderstorm could be seen along this front. However...no widespread hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday Through Sunday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .Spotter Information Statement... Spotter activation will not be needed. && Visit NWS Little Rock on the web. Go to http://weather.gov/lzk. 62/56
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
19 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Baxter County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th.
Boone County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th.
Marion County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th.
Fulton County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th.
Sharp County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th.
Sharp County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th.
Izard County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th.
Searcy County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th.
Stone County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th.
Logan County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th.
Yell County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th and entered D3 drought designation on November 28th.
Scott County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th and entered D3 drought designation on November 28th.
Polk County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th and entered D3 drought designation on November 28th.
Pike County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th and entered D3 drought designation on November 28th.
Garland County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th and entered D3 drought designation on November 28th.
Hot Spring County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th and entered D3 drought designation on November 28th.
Saline County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th and entered D3 drought designation on November 28th.
Perry County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th and entered D3 drought designation on November 28th.
Clark County entered D2 drought designation on November 7th and entered D3 drought designation on November 28th.
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, November 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: 724047, 724048, 724052, 724054, 724056, 724057, 724058, 724059, 724060, 724061, 724062, 724063, 724064, 724065, 724066, 724067, 724068, 724069, 724070.