Heavy rain brought flooding to to rivers in Arkansas in mid May 2020.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
Heavy rain brought flooding to to rivers in Arkansas in mid May 2020.
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 May 18, 5:35 AM CST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Little Rock AR 635 AM CDT Mon May 18 2020 .UPDATE... Updated to include the 12z aviation discussion. .AVIATION... VFR conds will prevail today at all terminals. Could see some VCFG this morning through 14/15z at KHRO and KBPK, otherwise no significant weather restrictions are expected. Mid/high level clouds will move across NE AR as a system passes N/E of the state. NW winds could gust to 20 knots this afternoon. Ceilings are expected lower to near MVFR over Nrn terminals by 10z Tues morning. && .PREV DISCUSSION...(ISSUED 355 AM CDT Mon May 18 2020) SHORT TERM...Today Through Tuesday Night Quiet weather has finally returned to the Natural State after three days of wet weather. Currently across the C CONUS, there are two H500 closed lows and associated surface lows within regions of shortwave troughing. One of which is located over Ern IA/Nrn IL/ NErn MO and the second over Ern LA/Srn MS. The latter feature, brought heavy rainfall, widespread totals of two to four inches with locally higher amounts, to SWrn, C, and Srn AR. This feature has exited the state to our E and precipitation has come to an end. The former feature will dive SEwrd today, bringing only mid/high level clouds to NErn AR. Did not include rain chances with this due to AR residing on the SW side of the upper low beneath a region of large scale forcing for subsidence. Drier and cooler air will continue to advect into the region on gusty northwest winds today. In fact, winds may gust upwards of 25 mph in some locations during the afternoon hours, especially across the higher terrain of the Ozarks into portions of C AR. High temperatures should range from the upper 60s north to lower 80s south. In the wake of the departing trough, a highly amplified ridge will move into the C plains. Surface high pressure will build into the region over the next couple of days. Winds will remain NWrly through the period with lows in the 50s, possibly upper 40s across the higher terrain. Some patchy fog will be possible each morning in valley locations. On Tuesday, high temperatures will range from the lower 70s to lower 80s. Partly cloudy conditions are expected to linger through Tuesday across NErn sections of the state with clear skies over SWrn AR. Quiet weather will continue into the long term period. LONG TERM...Wednesday Through Sunday The PD wl start off with a much talked about closed upr low situated ovr the TN/lower Ohio Valley region. A series of weak upper impulses are fcst to rotate arnd the primary low center, resulting in periods of clouds and some low rain chances. The rmns some timing and placement issues between the models, so confidence in overall rain chcs is low. By late this week and into the holiday weekend, the aforementioned upr low wl begin to lift NEWD as a new upr trof apchs the FA fm the W. The combination of lift and incrsd moisture wl result in better rain chances for much of the region. At this time, convective trends look to be scattered in coverage and more diurnal in nature. Temps wl rmn at or a bit below seasonal norms at the start of the PD. But a moderating trend wl commence late in the week a south winds return to the FA. && .LZK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...NONE. && Aviation...JONES
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Little Rock AR 403 AM CDT Mon May 18 2020 ARZ003>008-012>017-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-191000- Boone-Marion-Baxter-Fulton-Sharp-Randolph-Newton-Searcy-Stone- Izard-Independence-Lawrence-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- 403 AM CDT Mon May 18 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for a Large Part of Arkansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight No hazardous weather is anticipated at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday Through Sunday No hazardous weather is anticipated 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. 44/230
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flooding returned in the latter part of May on the Cache River at Patterson due to heavy rain.
Flooding returned in the latter part of May on the White River at Georgetown due to heavy rain.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, May 2020
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: 887657, 887655.