Tornado and Flash Flood in Arkansas, June 12 to 13, 2026

Name: Tornado and Flash Flood in Arkansas, June 12 to 13, 2026
Start: 2026-06-12T16:37
End: 2026-06-13T17:00
Location: Arkansas

June 12 to 13, 2026 · NWS LZK · 7 events in 5 counties and zones

A lifting warm front across Arkansas in cohesion with a subtle, but impactful upper level shortwave trough would lead to multiple reports of severe wind, severe hail, and Flash Flooding across central Arkansas. Additionally, a landspout tornado would occur along the convergence of two outflow boundaries in rural central Arkansas.

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: 7

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.

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 Jun 12, 10:57 AM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Issued at 215 AM CDT Fri Jun 12 2026
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue through the remainder of the night and into Friday as a cold front moves through.
The strongest storms may produce some gusty winds but widespread severe weather is not expected.
Rain chances will continue through the weekend and into the middle of next week until weak upper level high pressure builds in.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 12, 10:57 AM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Little Rock AR
1157 AM CDT Fri Jun 12 2026

...New AVIATION...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Issued at 215 AM CDT Fri Jun 12 2026

 - Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue through the
   remainder of the night and into Friday as a cold front moves
   through.

- The strongest storms may produce some gusty winds but
  widespread severe weather is not expected.

- Rain chances will continue through the weekend and into the
  middle of next week until weak upper level high pressure builds
  in.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 215 AM CDT Fri Jun 12 2026

Guidance continues to show an unsettled pattern for the next few
days as frontal boundaries will be meandering around the forecast
area. Convection this morning is largely tied to or slightly behind
a cold front now located over NW Arkansas in a moderately unstable
air mass. Mesoanalysis/model soundings do keep DCAPE values at or
above 1000 J/KG for most of the state through the remainder of the
night so there will remain the potential of some gusty winds with
any stronger storm. Storms have slowly been increasing for the past
several hours and are now making a push into the FA.

CAMS models do show widely scattered convection continuing through
the remainder of the night and into the day time hours, mainly along
the advancing boundary, as the air mass remains moist and unstable.
Any stronger storm could still produce some gusty winds and large
hail.

Front will eventually stall out along the Arkansas/Louisiana border
by Friday evening. Boundary will then begin to lift back to the
north Friday night through Saturday and become the focus for
increased rain chances. Yet another cold front will be moving
through the region early next week as a mid level trough finally
swings through. Frontal interactions and abundant moisture will keep
POPS and QPF on the higher side until the final FROPA but it is
worth mentioning that continuous rain in not expected at this time.

Guidance still inconsistent with QPF. NBM is showing a general 1 to
2 inch rainfall through Monday with higher amounts over the southern
third of the state. However, deterministic guidance shows better
chances across the north where a slight risk of excessive rainfall
exists according to the latest EROs. Rain chances do taper off
towards the middle of next week as the aforementioned trough exits
the region and is replaced by weak mid level ridging.

Concerning temperatures, another seasonable warm day is expected
across the FA today with another steamy one for Saturday as the warm
front pushes to the north. Heat index values do flirt with criteria
Saturday over parts of the Delta but cooler air does come in for
Sunday across the north and statewide for Monday. Heat returns for
mid week and beyond with heat indices climbing close to criteria
again for Thursday.

&&

.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1151 AM CDT Fri Jun 12 2026

The early morning TS complex across SW Arkansas continues to
diminish while a few storms persist across far eastern portions of
the state. A mixed bag of VFR/MVFR cigs will persist through the
afternoon hours. Some additional TS development is possible
through 13/00z, mainly across southern portions of the state.
Confidence in coverage and impacts to area terminals remains low.
Latest short term guidance indicates another TS complex may
approach northern AR terminals by 13/12z. This could provide
reduced cigs/vsby and strong wind gusts to KHRO/KBPK. Otherwise,
sfc winds will remain variable in direction and strength across
the state with some occasional non-thunderstorm wind gusts to 20
kts possible at times.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Batesville AR     73  88  73  82 /  20  40  60  30
Camden AR         75  93  77  88 /  10  10  20  70
Harrison AR       70  84  68  75 /  20  50  90  40
Hot Springs AR    75  90  75  84 /  10  30  60  70
Little Rock   AR  75  91  76  84 /  20  30  60  70
Monticello AR     77  93  78  89 /  10  10  10  70
Mount Ida AR      74  88  75  82 /  10  20  70  80
Mountain Home AR  70  84  69  77 /  30  50  90  30
Newport AR        73  90  74  84 /  30  50  60  50
Pine Bluff AR     75  91  77  86 /  10  20  30  70
Russellville AR   75  90  75  83 /  20  30  70  50
Searcy AR         73  90  74  84 /  20  30  50  60
Stuttgart AR      76  91  77  85 /  10  30  50  70

&&

.LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&

DISCUSSION...56
AVIATION...67

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 46 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:37 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Lonoke

When: June 12, 4:37 PM CST to 4:41 PM CST
Where: Lonoke County, 3.63 mi SSE of McCreanor to 1.56 mi SW of McCreanor
Rating: EFU
Path length: 3.12 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 34.731, -91.778

This landspout began southeast of Lonoke near Merlin Morris Road. The tornado tracked northwest across mainly open fields to near Miller Road before dissipating. The landspout was well documented by multiple videos from different perspectives, however damage was not extensive enough for a rating. This tornado was rated EFU.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lonoke

When: June 12, 4:58 PM CST
Where: Lonoke County, 2.07 mi S of Lonoke
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 34.750, -91.920

A large limb was blow down onto a home near the town of Lonoke. No injuries were reported.

Hail, Izard

When: June 13, 1:14 PM CST
Where: Izard County, 0.69 mi S of Melbourne
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: State Official
Coordinates: 36.060, -91.920

Quarter-sized hail fell at the Izard County Sheriff's Department in Melbourne.

Hail, Independence

When: June 13, 2:35 PM CST
Where: Independence County, 0.56 mi E of Cord
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.820, -91.340

Tennis-ball sized hail fell near the community of Cord.

Hail, Independence

When: June 13, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Independence County, 0.89 mi SE of Cord
Measured: 2 in hail
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 35.810, -91.340

Hen-egg sized hail fell just south of the community of Cord.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cleburne

When: June 13, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Cleburne County, 0.69 mi S of Stark
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.560, -92.180

Multiple large tree limbs were blown down near the town of Greers Ferry.

Flash Flood, Marion

When: June 13, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Marion County, 1.51 mi SSE of Eros to 1.55 mi SSE of Eros
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.160, -92.839

Arkansas State Highway 125 was damaged at this location between Eros and Bruno due to swift, high water flowing over the highway leading to the erosion and failure of the roadway surface.

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Arkansas, 2026 Warnings in Arkansas, June 2026

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: 1356617, 1346461, 1346464, 1346465, 1346467, 1346471, 1346483.