Heavy rain brought flooding to the Ouachita and Fourche LaFave Rivers in the middle of May.
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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 the Ouachita and Fourche LaFave Rivers in the middle of May.
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, 11:46 AM CST, 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Little Rock AR 1246 PM CDT Tue May 18 2021 .AVIATION...18/18Z TAF CYCLE Combo of VFR/MVFR conds wl persist thru the period as abundant low lvl moisture regime rmns in place. Wl see a lull in overall coverage of SHRA/TSRA thru much of the aftn, with VC included at most sites. Another round of convection wl move into SW AR late this aftn and affect much of the FA thru the evening hrs, with OCNL IFR conds expected. Mainly SE winds wl cont at 5 to 15 mph, with higher gusts in heavier storms. /44/ && .PREV DISCUSSION...(ISSUED 300 AM CDT Tue May 18 2021) SHORT TERM...Today Through Wednesday Night An upper level trough/closed low remains west of AR over the SRN Rockies early this Tue morning...with AR under SW flow aloft. This has kept moisture levels high recently...resulting in high POPs. Current radar imagery shows some scattered SHRA liking north across portions of the CWA...mainly across central into NRN sections of the CWA. Some more isolated activity was also noted further west and south. The aforementioned upper trough/closed low will continue to meander west of AR through the short term period...with multiple upper disturbances lifting NE in the SW flow aloft over AR. Confidence is high in seeing multiple disturbances moving overhead...but the exact timing of these waves...and the resulting coverage/location of the convection...remains uncertain...even in the near-term. Even so...the areas expecting to seeing highest rainfall will remain across the WRN/SWRN section of the CWA...where QPF values through Wed night are in the general 1-3 inch range. Locally higher amounts will be possible...with an increased threat for flash flooding. As a result...the flood watch will remain for the counties already established. As for more detailed timing...latest high-res near-term guidance suggests the ongoing scattered/isolated SHRA to continue into the early afternoon hrs across the central/ERN CWA. However...a more organized area of convection could develop to the west/SW later this morning...then move NE into WRN/SWRN sections of the CWA mid to late afternoon. This convection could then possibly persist into the central sections of the CWA by this evening...lessening in intensity and organization over time. Expect more isolated/scattered convection by tonight into early Wed. Humidity levels will remain high over the short term period due to the continued moisture influx given the overall synoptic pattern. Temps will be in the upper 60s to low 80s each afternoon...with lows generally in the 60s to around 70. POPs look to start to shift west by the end of the short term and the first period of the long term period before a drier pattern develops late this week. LONG TERM...Thursday Through Monday Scattered rain showers will remain possible during the early part of the long term period before upper level high pressure builds in from the east. Additional rainfall accumulations look to remain below a quarter inch. The highest totals in western AR gradually decreasing as you move to central and eastern AR. The lowest PoPs move in for the weekend as this upper level high pressure takes control, promoting dry and calm conditions through at least early next week. Temperatures look to rise above normal under the presence of high pressure as clouds gradually clear bringing highs into the 80s and 90s and lows into the 60s. && .LZK Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Flood Watch through Thursday morning FOR Clark-Conway-Faulkner- Garland-Hot Spring-Montgomery-Perry-Pike-Polk-Pulaski-Saline- Scott-Yell. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Little Rock AR 310 AM CDT Tue May 18 2021 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- 310 AM CDT Tue May 18 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for a Large Part of Arkansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Showers and thunderstorms will remain possible through at least tonight...with some locally heavy rainfall possible. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are forecast through tonight across the far west and southwest sections of the area. Locally higher amounts will be possible...with an increased threat for flash flooding as a result across the southwest sections of the area. A few strong to briefly severe thunderstorms could be seen...mainly across far southwest sections of the area this afternoon. Damaging winds and large hail will be the primary threat with the strongest storms. Otherwise...the overall threat for organized severe weather looks low at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday Through Monday Chances for showers and thunderstorms remain in the forecast through Friday as an active weather pattern persists. While the overall threat for seeing severe weather looks to remain low...a strong storm or two could be seen. There will remain an increased threat for flash flooding for portions of western and southwest Arkansas...where total rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are expected from Tuesday morning through Friday...with locally higher amounts possible. Calmer conditions will be seen by the weekend...with the threat for organized hazardous weather becoming low. .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.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain brought flooding to the Fourche LaFave River at Houston on May 18, 2021.
Heavy rain brought flooding to the Ouachita River at Camden on May 20, 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, May 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: 961715, 961709.