Climate Data
Yearly Reports
Interested in what kind of weather occurred in a recent year? Check out the most memorable events below.
 
Little Rock Yearly Climate Summary (2011)/Pg1
 
Links of Interest
Storms of 2011 (in PDF)
Note: This is a file with lists of significant events (tornadoes, damaging winds, hail, etc) during the year in Arkansas.
2011 Slide Show
Extreme Weather Across the U.S. in 2011
Year 2011 (Little Rock)
Year 2011 (North Little Rock)

 

2011 Statistics
Month Tornadoes Tornado Deaths Dmg Wind Deaths Flood/Flash Flood Deaths Lightning Deaths
Jan 0 0 0 0 0
Feb 3 (EF1: 3) 0 0 0 0
Mar 0 0 0 1 0
Apr 56 (EF0: 10, EF1: 38, EF2: 7, EF3: 1) 7 6 6 0
May 11 (EF0: 3, EF1: 5, EF2: 1, EF3: 1, EF4: 1) 5 0 11 0
Jun 2 (EF0: 1, EF1: 1) 0 1 0 0
Jul 0 0 0 0 0
Aug 0 0 0 0 1
Sep 1 (EF0: 1) 0 0 0 0
Oct 1 (EF0: 1) 0 0 0 0
Nov 1 (EF0: 1) 0 0 0 0
Dec 0 0 0 0 0
Total 75 12 7 18* 1
 
* - Eighteen (18) flood/flash flood fatalities was the most of any state in 2011.

 

The record for the most tornadoes is 107 in 1999.

This was the fourth most active year for tornadoes (75 of them) since 1950. One (1) tornado was rated EF4, with two (2) EF3 tornadoes, eight (8) EF2 tornadoes, forty seven (47) EF1 tornadoes and seventeen (17) EF0 tornadoes.
In the picture: The record for the most tornadoes is 107 in 1999. More than half of these (56) were spawned during one outbreak on January 21-22, 1999.

 

Deadliest Tornadoes of 2011 in Arkansas
A tornado (rated EF2) tore through Vilonia (Faulkner County) on April 25th, and killed four people just to the southwest of town. On May 25th, four more people lost their lives to a tornado (rated EF4) at Denning (Franklin County) and near Harmony (Johnson County). These tornadoes had long tracks, or 51 miles and 46 miles respectively.

 

Precipitation distribution (percent per month) in 2011.
In the picture: Precipitation distribution (percent per month) in 2011. April, May, November and December were the wettest months. January, June, July and October were the driest months.
 

Precipitation was mostly above normal in 2011. There were some below normal totals south of Little Rock (Pulaski County). In fact, deficits were as high as 15 to 20 inches from El Dorado (Union County) to Texarkana (Miller County). Drought conditions continued in these areas to end the year.

 

Precipitation in 2011
Site Amount +/- % of Normal Months Below Normal
Fayetteville (NW AR) 56.15 +9.82 121% 07
Harrison (NC AR) 52.01 +7.87 118% 07
Jonesboro (NE AR) 58.05 +9.95 121% 06
Fort Smith (WC AR) 46.56 +1.10 102% 06
Little Rock (C AR) 60.23 +10.48 121% 06
West Memphis (EC AR) 55.95 +2.37 104% 08
Texarkana (SW AR) 30.69 -18.96 62% 09
El Dorado (SC AR) 37.62 -15.30 71% 10
Pine Bluff (SE AR) 48.70 -2.45 95% 08

 

The year began with a cold and snowy winter. There were half a dozen significant snow events. The most memorable episode occurred on February 9th. On that day, one to two feet of snow piled up in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas. A storm system ("L") tracked through Texas on 02/09/2011, and spread snow into Arkansas.
In the picture: A storm system ("L") tracked through Texas on 02/09/2011, and spread snow into Arkansas. The system was followed by arctic high pressure ("H") and much colder air.

 

Link of Interest
The Winter of 2010/2011

 

A storm system was in eastern Oklahoma by the early afternoon of 02/24/2011. On February 24th, a system in the Plains triggered storms with damaging winds and isolated tornadoes (three of them) in central and southern sections of the state. Heavy to excessive rain fell across the north, with amounts topping six inches in the northeast.
In the picture: A storm system was in eastern Oklahoma by the early afternoon of 02/24/2011. The heaviest rain was expected north of the track from northern Arkansas to the Ohio Valley. The greatest severe weather concern was south of the track in central and southern sections of the state.

 

 

A widespread damaging wind event unfolded on April 4th. Straight-line winds downed numerous trees and power lines, snapped power poles and caused structural damage in southern Arkansas. 100 mph wind gusts were estimated at Ashdown (Little River County) and Hope (Hempstead County).
The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed a bow echo (backward C-shaped line of storms) moving quickly through southern Arkansas during the morning of 04/04/2011.
In the picture: The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed a bow echo (backward C-shaped line of storms) moving quickly through southern Arkansas during the morning of 04/04/2011. Damaging winds (up to 80 mph) punching through the back side of the bow created its characteristic shape.

 

Roads were blocked by trees, and a home was badly damaged at Gurdon (Clark County). Similar reports were received by the National Weather Service from Leola (Grant County), Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) and Star City (Lincoln County). At DeWitt (Arkansas County), a tree was pushed over onto a vehicle. Seven (7) weak tornadoes were counted in the southwest counties.

 

 

The last two weeks of April into the first days of May featured one of the busiest periods of severe weather and flooding/flash flooding in recent memory. Rainfall exceeded a foot in some areas, and excess runoff resulted in record crests at several forecast points along the Black and lower White Rivers (even higher than historic 2008 levels).

 

Crests Along Black and White Rivers
Location River Crest (ft) Flood Stage (ft) Date Crest (ft) Date
Corning (Clay Co) Black 15.92 15 03/22/2008 18.12R 04/28/2011
Pocahontas (Randolph Co) Black 26.56 17 03/22/2008 28.47R 04/28/2011
Black Rock (Lawrence Co) Black 29.71 14 03/20/2008 30.45 04/26/2011
Newport (Jackson Co) White 33.87 26 03/21/2008 34.17 05/04/2011
Augusta (Woodruff Co) White 38.41 26 03/22/2008 40.80 05/05/2011
Georgetown (White Co) White 30.18 21 03/24/2008 33.95R 05/06/2011
Des Arc (Prairie Co) White 33.74 24 03/25/2008 39.43R 05/07/2011
Clarendon (Monroe Co) White 33.04 26 03/29/2008 37.54 05/10/2011
Note: "R" is record crest.

 

A record stage of 33.95 feet was reached at Georgetown (White County). The previous record was 32.80 feet in February 1949. Stage information would not have been available without the heroic efforts of Chuck and Debra Lang, long time National Weather Service cooperative weather observers in town.

 

 

More Information
 
There is more concerning the year 2011 in Arkansas. To check out the rest of the story, click here.
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