As the month ended, high pressure was set to relocate to the western states and away from Arkansas. This allowed one last cold front to slide this way from the north.
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.
As the month ended, high pressure was set to relocate to the western states and away from Arkansas. This allowed one last cold front to slide this way from the north. During the evening of the 31st, scattered thunderstorms formed near the Missouri border close to the front.
One storm became severe, and produced winds strong enough to destroy a metal carport and topple trees. This was far from the pounding (from damaging wind/isolated tornadoes) states to the north/east endured in recent days.
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 Jul 31, 5:36 PM CST, 3 hours 39 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Little Rock AR 636 PM CDT Sat Jul 31 2021 .UPDATE... Updated to include the 00Z aviation discussion. && .AVIATION... As a front crosses N to S tonight into Sun, SHRA/TSRA will increase with the highest confidence of terminal impacts by 01/09Z at HRO/BPK and between 01/18-20Z elsewhere. Uncertainty in coverage and restrictions increases for central terminals, although MVFR to brief IFR will be possible areawide. Wind shifts N/NE behind the front with some improvement to cigs near the end of the period. && .PREV DISCUSSION...(ISSUED 238 PM CDT Sat Jul 31 2021) SHORT TERM...Tonight Through Monday Night Another blistering hot day across the Natural State, but relief is on the way. The road for KLIT to reach 100 degrees officially is in jeopardy given developing cloud cover and brief shift to northwesterly winds this afternoon. Heat index values will continue to persist over the 100 degree mark and 105 degree mark in many locations across the CWA warranting the continuation of the Heat Advisory this afternoon. Pop chances remain low reserved for the far northern expanse of the state. Tonight/Sunday... the upper level ridge will drop SW allowing a cold front to begin its progression into the state. With its progression tonight and into the day on Sunday Pop chances will increase ahead and along the frontal boundary. Sunday morning locations north of the I-40 corridor should expect showers and thunderstorms with a trajectory of showers and thunderstorms to reach the middle portions of the state (including the Little Rock metro) from noon into the afternoon hours... A Heat Advisory may need to remain for the far southern counties of the area as the front is not projected to make it to the highway 278 corridor in southern Arkansas before the max heating of the day. Sunday high temperatures will be in the 80's for areas along and behind the front (northern/central Arkansas), while mid to upper 90's can be expected ahead of the front (southern Arkansas). Sunday Night... the front continues its progress finally into southern portions of the state with pops decreasing for areas in northern and central Arkansas and increasing pops for locations in southern Arkansas throughout the night. Expect low temperatures into the mid 60's/upper 60's in the northern/central portions of the state and low temperatures remaining in the 70's in the southern part of the state. Monday... temperatures peak into the 80's across the state as areas behind the frontal boundary see drier air and clearing skies prevail. Afternoon convection is possible, but will remain isolated in nature. Overall pop chances remain low. Monday Night... temperatures with clear skies fall into the mid to upper 60's across the state. Pop chances will remain significantly low. LONG TERM...Tuesday Through Saturday Good news for the long term fcst with below normal temps through the middle of next week over the Natural State. Robust H500 ridging that wl have dominated the Cntrl US over the past week wl have retrograded over the Desert S/W and hgt falls wl be present across the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes. As troughing digs into the lower MS river valley region, weak N/Wrly flow aloft wl overspread the FA. At the sfc, high pressure wl remain over the Upper Midwest under upper forcing for descent, w/ the residual airmass from the weekend FROPA in place over the state. N/Erly sfc winds wl gift slightly drier and much less oppressive air to the state, and highs through the first half of next week wl stay below normal in the mid to upper 80s. Given upper forcing for descent overspreading the Cntrl US and sfc high pressure to the N, PoPs wl stay below Chc through much of the PD for most locations, w/ dry and cooler condns the main topics of discussion. By the end of the week, troughing over the Upper Midwest is anticipated to begin filling in, and flow overall de-amplifying. A return to more zonal flow wl favor Srly winds returning to the region and temps beginning to warm to near normal values once more. && .LZK Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT this evening FOR Arkansas-Baxter- Boone-Bradley-Calhoun-Clark-Cleburne-Cleveland-Conway-Dallas- Desha-Drew-Faulkner-Fulton-Garland-Grant-Hot Spring-Independence- Izard-Jackson-Jefferson-Johnson-Lawrence-Lincoln-Logan-Lonoke- Marion-Monroe-Montgomery-Newton-Ouachita-Perry-Pike-Polk-Pope- Prairie-Pulaski-Randolph-Saline-Scott-Searcy-Sharp-Stone-Van Buren-White-Woodruff-Yell. Heat Advisory from 1 PM to 7 PM CDT Sunday FOR Bradley-Calhoun- Clark-Cleveland-Dallas-Desha-Drew-Hot Spring-Lincoln-Ouachita- Pike. && Aviation...DTC
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Little Rock AR 217 PM CDT Sat Jul 31 2021 ARZ003>008-012>017-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-011000- 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- 307 AM CDT Sat Jul 31 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for a Large Part of Arkansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Heat index values remain above 100 to 105 degrees at most locations Saturday afternoon, with the potential for some locations to reach 110 degrees. Expect these heat index values to drop below 105 degrees by this evening. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms remain possible over the north and northeast portions of the state this evening through the overnight hours. While a strong storm could be seen...the overall threat for seeing severe weather is low. Some gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall will be possible with the strongest storms. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday Through Friday A cold front will enter northern Arkansas early Sunday morning into early Monday. Thunderstorm chances will increase across northern Arkansas through Sunday morning...with coverage of rain chances shifting south to the central and southern portions of the state Sunday night through Monday. For now...the overall threat for severe weather is low...but an isolated strong storm will still be possible. Beyond Monday...the threat for hazardous weather will become low. .Spotter Information Statement... Spotter activation will not be needed. && Visit NWS Little Rock on the web. Go to http://weather.gov/lzk. 232/234
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Little Rock AR 927 PM CDT Sat Jul 31 2021 ARZ005>007-015-017-010300- Baxter AR-Lawrence AR-Sharp AR-Fulton AR-Izard AR- 927 PM CDT Sat Jul 31 2021 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN IZARD...NORTHEASTERN BAXTER...FULTON...WEST CENTRAL LAWRENCE AND CENTRAL SHARP COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 PM CDT... At 927 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along a line extending from 8 miles west of Mammoth Spring to 7 miles southeast of Gainesville. Movement was southeast at 50 mph. Winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with these storms. Locations impacted include... Cherokee Village... Melbourne... Salem in Fulton County... Ash Flat... Horseshoe Bend... Calico Rock... Highland in Sharp County... Hardy... Oxford... Viola... Pineville... Franklin... Ballard... Bexar... Flint Springs... Ott... Sturkie... Wideman... Byron... Rodney... LAT...LON 3605 9118 3608 9211 3650 9241 3650 9165 TIME...MOT...LOC 0227Z 308DEG 43KT 3651 9169 3651 9234 230
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Little Rock AR 959 PM CDT Sat Jul 31 2021 ARZ006>008-015-017-010345- Lawrence AR-Randolph AR-Sharp AR-Fulton AR-Izard AR- 959 PM CDT Sat Jul 31 2021 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN RANDOLPH... NORTHEASTERN IZARD...EASTERN FULTON...NORTHWESTERN LAWRENCE AND SHARP COUNTIES UNTIL 1045 PM CDT... At 959 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Cherokee Village, moving east at 35 mph. Wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Cherokee Village... Ash Flat... Horseshoe Bend... Highland in Sharp County... Hardy... Ravenden... Ravenden Springs... Ballard... Dalton... Smithville... Williford... Agnos... Armstrong... Heart... Fryatt... Kittle... Wirth... Saddle... Nelsonville... Sitka... LAT...LON 3625 9180 3648 9167 3643 9114 3600 9135 TIME...MOT...LOC 0259Z 291DEG 32KT 3633 9166 230
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 166 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:16 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Damaging winds destroyed a metal carport and caused sporadic damage, including tree damage, in the city of Ash Flat. The time was estimated from radar.
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, July 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: 964821.