A stalled front was in place across the area from Dec 17-18 acting as the focus for widespread rainfall. Initially the heavy rain threat was across northern Arkansas and southern Missouri but by the 18th, rain expanded south.
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.
A stalled front was in place across the area from Dec 17-18 acting as the focus for widespread rainfall. Initially the heavy rain threat was across northern Arkansas and southern Missouri but by the 18th, rain expanded south. A few of our rivers were affected and rose above flood stage.
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 Dec 21, 11:20 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Little Rock AR 1120 AM CST Tue Dec 21 2021 .UPDATE... Updated to include the 18Z aviation discussion. .AVIATION... VFR conditions are expected through the period with winds out of the W/NW early becoming light and variable late in the period. Some patchy fog could affect southern terminals Wednesday morning, although confidence is not high. Opted to bring VIS down slightly, keeping VFR to show low confidence. && PREV DISCUSSION...(ISSUED 350 AM CST Tue Dec 21 2021) SHORT TERM...Today Through Wednesday Night Upper lvl storm system was located just to the SE of AR early this mrng. Cont to see some returns on radar ovr the ern parts of the FA. While, most of this precip is not reaching the ground, cannot rule out some very light rain/few ice pellets thru the predawn hrs assocd with this feature. Meanwhile, a weak CDFNT was situated to the NW of AR, roughly along the I-44 corridor. Wl cont to mention patchy fog/freezing fog thru mid mrng as well. As the aforementioned upper low conts working further to the east today, the resulting NWly mid lvl flow wl bring the CDFNT thru much of the FA tngt into Wed. The bndry is fcst to stall out and dissipate near the LA border as a weak sfc high slides to the N of the region. Lack of sig moisture wl result in dry conds with the FROPA. After a cold start to the day, a light W/SW sfc flow wl allow for a nice recovery in temps today with highs generally in the 50s. Lows tngt wl range fm the mid 20 to mid 30s. A reinforcing shot of cooler air wl start to advect into the FA fm the N on Wed, with highs ranging fm the upper 40s to the upper 50s. The sfc high wl quickly move to the E Wed ngt, with a light S/SE wind flow returning to close out the PD. This wl be the start of another moderating trend that wl cont beyond this fcst PD. LONG TERM...Thursday Through Monday Not much to add regarding the long term fcst at this point, if you're not a fan of cold wx, then you're in luck, and this discussion is for you...On the other hand, if you're a winter wx and snow lover, look elsewhere friends, no such thing wl be had in the Natural State this Christmas... Semantics aside, slightly perturbed H500 flow wl be prevalent over the CONUS to begin the PD, w/ subtle troughing making its way to the Ern coast, and low amplitude ridging extending over the Cont Divide. The polar jet looks to stay further N near the US/Canada border, w/ several perturbations pivoting S/wrd and traversing through the mean flow, but staying well N of the Srn Cntrl US and Mid-South. Around our neck of the woods, quasi-zonal flow looks to prevail as the pattern remains dominated by a prominent upper-lvl high pressure system located over Nrn Mexico/Srn TX. Given a lack of upper-lvl forcing and sfc features steering relatively clear of the FA, dry wx can be expected through the end of the coming weekend. Of more interest in this fcst, wl be the seasonably warm temps, as has been advertised through the first and latter half of the month now. Daily high temps around the region wl lkly stay above normal through the far end of the fcst PD, particularly as Srly and S/Wrly flow (at times quite gusty) looks to prevail through most of the coming week, w/ the occasional remnants of a frnt from Nrn US storm systems meandering into the state. Fri, Sun, and possibly Mon look to pose the warmest temperatures, and while the current fcst does not reflect widespread record warmth, several sites may see readings climb within reach of daily record values, particularly over Nrn and Cntrl AR. && .LZK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...NONE. && Aviation...233
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Little Rock AR 1051 AM CST Tue Dec 21 2021 ARZ003>008-012>017-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-221600- 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- 1051 AM CST Tue Dec 21 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for a Large Part of Arkansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday Through Monday 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.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain brought flooding to the Cache River at Patterson in late December, 2021.
Heavy rain brought flooding to the White River at Augusta in late December, 2021.
Heavy rain brought flooding to the Black River at Black Rock on December 22, 2021.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, December 2021
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: 998058, 998056, 998042.