Arkansas, 2020

Flooding in Arkansas, January 11 to 31, 2020

January 11 to 31, 2020 · NWS LZK · 9 events in 8 counties and zones

In addition to severe weather, there was torrential rain. More than four inches of precipitation dumped in spots.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.

In addition to severe weather, there was torrential rain. More than four inches of precipitation dumped in spots. Twenty four hour totals through 600 am CST on the 11th included 5.00 inches at Batesville (Independence County), 4.30 inches at Bogg Springs (Polk County), 4.20 inches at Waldron (Scott County), 4.05 inches at Sparkman (Dallas County), 3.90 inches at Parks (Scott County) and Subiaco (Logan County), 3.83 inches at Cabot (Lonoke County), 3.78 inches at Booneville (Logan County), 3.75 inches at Big Fork (Polk County), 3.59 inches at Calamine (Sharp County), 3.52 inches at Pine Ridge (Montgomery County), 3.50 inches at Newport (Jackson County), and 3.46 inches at Little Rock (Pulaski County).

This was the big rain episode of the month, and was mostly responsible for above average amounts in January. In general, there was a surplus of precipitation by one to more than three inches at most locations.

Due to the deluge, there were many reports of water over roads. In Little Rock (Pulaski County), at least fifteen rescues were performed after motorists drove into high water. Highway 80 between Hon and Waldron (both in Scott County) was closed due to flooding. The same happened along Highway 115 near Jesup (Lawrence County), along Highways 62 and 175 at Cherokee Village (Sharp County), along Highway 224 south of Swifton (Jackson County), along Highway 13 north of McRae (White County), and along Highways 54 and 83 south of Gould (Lincoln County). Lots of county roads were flooded and/or washed out.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jan 11, 5:47 AM CST, 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 11, 5:47 AM CST, 59 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 11, 5:00 AM CST, 1 hour 46 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 11, 5:52 AM CST, 54 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 11, 5:54 AM CST, 52 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 11, 6:14 AM CST, 32 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 11, 6:18 AM CST, 28 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 11, 6:22 AM CST, 24 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 11, 6:26 AM CST, 20 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Lawrence

When
January 11, 6:46 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lawrence County, 0.75 mi NNE of Black Rock to 1.51 mi WSW of Black Rock
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
36.109, -91.093

Heavy rain brought flooding to the Black River at Black Rock.

Flood, Randolph

When
January 11, 8:10 AM CST to January 12, 4:25 AM CST
Where
Randolph County, 6.36 mi W of Noland to 4.83 mi W of Noland
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
36.210, -91.183

Heavy rain brought flooding to the Spring River at Imboden.

Flood, Woodruff

When
January 11, 12:36 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Woodruff County, 2.88 mi WNW of Augusta to 1.39 mi W of Ruffwood
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
35.294, -91.418

Heavy rain brought flooding again to the White River at Augusta.

Flood, Yell

When
January 11, 5:50 PM CST to January 13, 2:11 PM CST
Where
Yell County, 1.4 mi ESE of Corinth to 1.35 mi W of Danville
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
35.059, -93.409

Heavy rain brought flooding to the Petit Jean River at Danville.

Flood, White

When
January 11, 6:56 PM CST to January 12, 4:48 AM CST
Where
White County, 73.14 mi SSW of Noland to 71.5 mi SSW of Noland
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
35.275, -91.703

Heavy rain brought flooding to the Little Red River at Judsonia.

Flood, Perry

When
January 12, 7:35 AM CST to January 14, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Perry County, 123.99 mi SW of Ravenden Spgs to 123.01 mi SW of Ravenden Spgs
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
35.017, -92.739

Heavy rain brought flooding to the Fourche LaFave River at Houston.

Flood, Independence

When
January 12, 8:10 AM CST to 10:48 PM CST
Where
Independence County, 0.57 mi ESE of Cushman Jct to 2 mi N of Desha
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
35.765, -91.671

Heavy rain brought flooding to the White River at Batesville.

Flood, Randolph

When
January 12, 9:15 AM CST to January 26, 12:30 AM CST
Where
Randolph County, 0.78 mi NE of Pocahontas to 1.05 mi SW of Pocahontas
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
36.268, -90.960

Heavy rain brought flooding to the Black River at Pocahontas.

Flood, Monroe

When
January 13, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Monroe County, 2.54 mi NW of Clarendon to 1.89 mi SW of Clarendon
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
34.701, -91.336

Heavy rain brought flooding to the White River at Clarendon.

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, January 2020

Sources

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: 878335, 878339, 878332, 878341, 878338, 878340, 878334, 878336, 878333.