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| Storm Reports |
| Are you interested in what happened during a recent event? Check out the report below. |
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Big Events (2009)/Pg1 |
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| In 2009, forty four (44) tornadoes have been counted across Arkansas. Most recently, there were fifteen (15) tornadoes statewide on October 29th. In a normal year, there are 26 tornadoes. |
| From a wintry precipitation standpoint, the year featured one of the most destructive events in Arkansas recorded history. |
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On January 26th through the 28th, a paralyzing ice storm left behind 1 to 2 inches of freezing rain and sleet...and locally more. At least 350,000 customers were left without power, and 30,000 utility poles were downed or snapped. As many as 18 fatalities were reported across the state. |
| In the picture: A convoy of utility trucks was headed into northern Arkansas along U.S. Highway 167 between Velvet Ridge (White County) and Pleasant Plains (Independence County) on 01/28/2009. Click to enlarge. |
| On February 11th, there was a lot of wind. A storm system dragged a cold front into the state, with a line of fast moving thunderstorms along the front. Strong to damaging winds (60 to 80 mph) occurred with the line of storms, mainly north and west of Little Rock (Pulaski County).
One of the hardest hit areas was the Letona (White County) community, which is roughly 10 miles northwest of Searcy (White County). At around 245 am CST on the 11th, several homes sustained roof damage...and a mobile home and two recreational vehicles were overturned. Three people were injured.
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| On February 28th, a northwest wind flow aloft drove a storm system over the region from the Plains. It was cold enough for snow across much of Arkansas, but most areas received an inch or less. Not so in the northeast, with accumulations up to a foot in a few spots. |
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| In the picture: The satellite showed no clouds and a lot of snow over northeast Arkansas at 1002 am CST on 03/01/2009. |
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On April 9th, seven tornadoes were spawned in southern and western Arkansas, including a killer tornado (rated EF3) at Mena (Polk County). Three people lost their lives, and hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed. |
| In the picture: A tornado (rated EF3) ripped through this residential area, and wrapped metal around an oak tree in Mena (Polk County) on 04/09/2009. Click to enlarge. |
| These were the first tornadoes of 2009. In previous years, there were at least a dozen cases where the first tornado did not occur until April. In one year (1969), the first tornado was not spawned until August 16th. By this time in 2008, there were 37 tornadoes across the state. |
| Heavy rain arrived in May. Some locales in central and southern Arkansas picked up more than 15 inches of precipitation (200 to 300 percent of normal or more). The Ouachita River was at its highest level in 20 years, and there were three flash flood fatalities. |
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| In the picture: Percent of normal rainfall in May, 2009. |
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On the afternoon of June 12th, a derecho (storms producing damaging winds for several hundred miles) crossed the state in 4 to 5 hours. Wind gusts exceeded 80 mph (more than hurricane force) in some cases, and there were isolated tornadoes. |
| In the picture: Severe weather reports on 06/12/2009. The graphic is courtesy of the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK. |
| Later that month (June 30th), very large hail was reported...especially in Lonoke and Pulaski Counties (central Arkansas). Quarter to baseball size hail damaged cars, broke windows and destroyed crops. |
| It was a very wet July. In Little Rock (Pulaski County), it had not rained this much (11.65 inches) in more than 100 years. There were also an unprecedented number of tornadoes (8). One of these (rated EF2) tracked roughly 32 miles (a record) through Arkansas and Phillips Counties (southeast Arkansas) on the 30th. |
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| In the picture: A waterspout was witnessed over Lake Conway (Faulkner County) on 07/21/2009. The photo is courtesy of April Payne. Click to enlarge. |
| Link of Interest |
| July, 2009 (record rainfall/tornadoes) |
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| There is more concerning big events in 2009. To check out the rest of the story, click here. |
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