Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 25 to 27, 2021

Name: Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 25 to 27, 2021
Start: 2021-05-25T18:30
End: 2021-05-27T21:55
Location: Arkansas

May 25 to 27, 2021 · NWS LZK · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Abundant moisture/high humidity relocated to the Plains from the 20th to the 23rd, and we dried out temporarily. It did not last, with moisture shifting in this direction by the 25th.

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: 4

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.

Abundant moisture/high humidity relocated to the Plains from the 20th to the 23rd, and we dried out temporarily. It did not last, with moisture shifting in this direction by the 25th. Early in the day, thunderstorms east of Oklahoma City, OK weakened, and left behind a system aloft. This mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) initiated new thunderstorms over the Ouachita Mountains in the afternoon.

It was a gullywasher through the evening (two to more than four inches of rain) from Waldron (Scott County) and Mena (Polk County) to Danville (Yell County) and Russellville (Pope County). There was flooding along Highway 71 in Scott County, and made the thoroughfare impassible in places. Just northeast of Rover (Yell County), water flowed across Highway 27. There was street flooding in Mena (Polk County) as well.

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 May 25, 5:36 PM CST, 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 25, 5:36 PM CST, 54 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Little Rock AR
636 PM CDT Tue May 25 2021

.AVIATION...
Upper level disturbance continues to move across the region. This
impulse combined with daytime heating is producing scattered
convection that will impact primarily the northern terminals
through 06Z. Only widely scattered precipitation is expected
through the remainder of the period but low clouds will likely
impact the majority of the terminals around daybreak. VFR to MVFR
conditions this evening will becoming IFR and then rebound to VFR
by late Wednesday morning.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...(ISSUED 249 PM CDT Tue May 25 2021)
Short Term and Extended...
Southwesterly flow aloft continues across the area, with embedded
shortwaves producing areas of precipitation, with brief periods of
dry weather between systems. At the surface, a cold front will be
pushing into the area late Thursday afternoon into Friday, which
will result in significantly higher rain chances. There may be some
chances for severe weather across the area Thursday night as the
front pushes into an area of instability.

There have been a number of inquiries about the upcoming 3-day
holiday weekend. High temperatures on Saturday and Sunday look to be
quite pleasant in the wake of the cold front, with highs in the 70's
in most areas. A bit of a ridge will start to build by Monday, and
temperatures will warm up well into the 80's.

As far as rain chances are concerned, there may be a few showers and
thunderstorms across the southern and western half of the state on
Saturday, but Sunday and Monday should be dry.

The pattern aloft will become southwesterly again by early in the
week, and rain chances will return by Tuesday.

&&

.LZK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...NONE.
&&

Aviation...56

Hazardous weather outlook, May 25, 5:40 PM CST, 50 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service Little Rock AR
640 PM CDT Tue May 25 2021

ARZ003>008-012>017-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-261000-
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-
640 PM CDT Tue May 25 2021

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for a Large Part of Arkansas.

.DAY ONE...This evening and Tonight

Scattered to numerous showers with isolated thunderstorms will be
possible this evening with the coverage and intensity decreasing
after midnight. Gusty winds will be possible with the stronger
storms but locally heavy rainfall will be the primary concern.
Organized severe storms are not anticipated.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday Through Monday

Shower and thunderstorm chances are in the forecast through Friday.
A complex of storms is forecast to affect parts of northern and
western Arkansas later Thursday night into early Friday. There is
the potential for some strong and severe storms if the activity
remains organized. Damaging winds and locally heavy rainfall will
be the main concerns.

.Spotter Information Statement...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

&&

Visit NWS Little Rock on the web. Go to http://weather.gov/lzk.

56

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Polk

When: May 25, 6:30 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Polk County, 0.57 mi W of Mena to 1.6 mi S of Mena
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.580, -94.240

Street flooding was reported in the city of Mena.

Flash Flood, Yell

When: May 25, 6:30 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Yell County, 2.19 mi SW of Gilkey to 2.24 mi SW of Gilkey
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.980, -93.380

Water was reported over Highway 27 just north of Rover, making the road impassable.

Flash Flood, Scott

When: May 25, 8:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Scott County, 0.57 mi W of Waldron to 6.69 mi N of Cardiff
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.900, -94.090

The Scott County sheriff reported several portions of Hwy 71 unpassable due to elevated rivers and streams around Mansfield, Waldron, and Y City.

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: May 27, 9:55 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County, 0.57 mi W of Caddo Gap
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 34.400, -93.630

A tree was blown down.

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 2021 Every state in 2021 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, May 2021

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: 962120, 962121, 962122, 962123.