Flood in Arkansas
Every flood event the National Weather Service has filed in Arkansas, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flood episodes in Arkansas.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 1,901
- Deaths
- 24
- Injuries
- 8
- Damage
- $588 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, April 27 to 30, 2014A round of showers and thunderstorms occurred during the morning of the 27th. Some of the storms produced hail in central Arkansas. New storms during the afternoon dropped hail in the northern and western parts of the state.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, April 24 to 30, 2011From the 24th through the 27th, the arrival of a slow-moving cold front and several low pressure areas aloft triggered several rounds of thunderstorms. Tornadoes, severe storms, and flash flooding resulted. Widespread areal flooding followed the flash flooding.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, May 30 to 31, 2013The approach of low pressure aloft triggered numerous thunderstorms from the 30th into the early morning hours of the 31st. Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and flash flooding occurred. The flooding killed six people, and the tornadoes killed one.
- Tornadoes and Flood in Arkansas, May 24 to 26, 2011Thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front to the west of Arkansas on the evening of the 24th, entered western Arkansas during the late evening hours, and continued into the wee hours of the 25th. Severe weather, including two killer tornadoes, occurred in western Arkansas.
- Flooding in Arkansas, May 1 to 31, 2011Heavy rains continued to occur across the Mid-Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley during the beginning part of May. In addition, spring snow melt across the Dakotas and Minnesota continued to create higher than normal river levels on the Mississippi River.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, January 21 to 22, 1999A tornado touched down near Evening Star and continued northeast toward Beech Grove. At least twelve homes were damaged or destroyed. A church was also badly damaged.
- Flooding in Arkansas, May 1 to 31, 2011Areal flooding was widespread in Arkansas, beginning early in May. The flooding was caused by large amounts of rain on April 30th, and May 1st and 2nd; high water flowing down from Missouri; and backwater flooding from rivers and large creeks and bayous.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, October 29 to 31, 2009A large storm system in the Rockies headed through the Plains into the upper Midwest on the 29th. Rain increased ahead of the system, and became widespread in Arkansas. Meanwhile, a cold front arrived from the west.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, April 9 to 11, 2008Early on the 10th, there was widespread heavy rain in northern and western Arkansas. A weather system in Texas dragged a cold front toward the region, with a severe weather outbreak across Arkansas.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Arkansas, March 20 to 26, 2012A very slow-moving upper level low pressure center brought severe weather, heavy rain, and flash flooding from the 20th through the 22nd.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, April 2 to 6, 2025Severe weather, including widespread flash flooding occurred over a five day period across the entire state. This multiday event featured tornadoes, damaging winds, and very large hail.
- Flooding in Arkansas, May 26, 2024Four to five inches of rain fell across the Sugar Creek basin in northern Benton County on the 26th, most of it between the hours of midnight and 4:30 am. This heavy rainfall resulted in Little Sugar Creek flowing at dangerously high levels.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Arkansas, December 23 to 31, 2009A strong but slow-moving low pressure system began its approach to Arkansas on the 23rd. Ahead of this low, unseasonably large amounts of moisture were drawn northward from the Gulf of Mexico. The approach of the low set off heavy rain and thunderstorms on the 23rd and 24th.
- Flooding in Arkansas, April 1 to 6, 2008Many rivers and tributaries in Northeast Arkansas remained high during the beginning of April from excessive rainfall in March.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, October 6 to 9, 2008An area of low pressure, and an accompanying cold front, approached from the west and collided with an air mass that was much more humid than normal for early fall.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Arkansas, September 15 to 18, 2009A storm system wobbled from eastern Texas into southwest Arkansas in mid-September. Precipitation became widespread just to the north and east of the system late on the 15th in west central, central and northeast sections of the state.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, September 2 to 11, 2008Tropical Depression Gustav entered the southwest corner of Arkansas on the evening of the 2nd and lingered in the southwest part of the state for nearly 24 hours. By mid-evening on the 3rd, Gustav was about 75 miles west of Little Rock.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Arkansas, May 9 to 12, 2015A slow-moving low pressure trough moved from the Rockies into the Plains during the 9th and 10th. Several disturbances rotating through this trough translated across the Southern Plains during this period.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, April 24 to 30, 2011A stationary front remained draped across Southern Missouri into Western Kentucky from April 24th, 2011 into April 25th, 2011. A very warm and unstable atmosphere was in place across the Mid-South ahead of the front.
- Flooding in Arkansas, March 18 to 31, 2008Very heavy rain began developing late on the 17th in northern and western Arkansas, and continued on the 18th and early on the 19th as a powerful storm system approached from Texas.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, November 4 to 5, 2024Strong to severe thunderstorms developed into and across northwestern Arkansas during the afternoon of the 4th, in an unseasonably moist and unstable air mass ahead of an approaching cold front. The atmosphere became very unstable ahead of the thunderstorms.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Arkansas, April 13, 2022A line of thunderstorms developed into northwestern Arkansas during the morning of the 13th, as a cold front moved into the area. A strong thunderstorm within the line produced hail up to nickel size.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Arkansas, May 5 to 7, 2022A strong storm system slowly moved from the central Rockies into the Southern and Central Plains on the 4th and 5th.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, January 2 to 3, 2023A few strong to severe thunderstorms moved across Arkansas on the afternoon and evening of the 2nd. Damaging winds and a tornado occurred over portions of far southeast Arkansas. Over central and northern Arkansas, storms occurred but damage was highly localized.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Arkansas, June 23 to 27, 2019Multiple rounds of thunderstorms moved across eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas from the afternoon of June 22nd through the early morning hours of the 24th, as a cold front approached the area from the west. The strongest storms produced damaging wind.
More
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.