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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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April 2009 Storm Report |
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| Short Weather Summary |
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| The first tornadoes of 2009 were spawned in April. One of these (rated EF3) hit the Mena (Polk County) area on the 9th. There was also a late freeze to begin the month, and heavy to excessive rain to end it. |
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| There were a few high temperature records in April (on the 22nd and 23rd). Check out the records below. |
| Site |
Record High (Date of Occurrence) |
| Little Rock |
90 (04/23) |
| North Little Rock |
87T (04/23) |
| Texarkana |
89 (04/22) |
| Note: "T" means record was tied. |
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Just like 2007, a widespread late freeze was in the forecast in April. On the morning of the 7th, those with agricultural interests braced for cold temperatures and possible crop damage. In the end, it did not get as cold as expected...and the freeze was restricted to western Arkansas. |
| In the picture: Low temperatures (freeze line is blue) and hours below freezing during the morning of 04/07/2009. |
| The First Tornadoes |
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| Two days after the freeze, the talk was about severe weather. Up until this day, there had not been a tornado in 2009. That changed quickly. |
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| 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. |
| A powerful tornado (rated EF3) hit Mena (Polk County) around 810 pm CDT on the 9th. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Three people lost their lives, with thirty injuries. It was one of seven tornadoes spawned during the event across the state (mostly in southwest sections).
Four more weak tornadoes (rated EF0/EF1) were produced from the 27th through the 30th, for a total of eleven tornadoes for the month.
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| Heavy Rain |
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While there were several rounds of heavy rain in April, it started becoming excessive (causing flash flooding) from the 27th through the 30th. |
| In the picture: Twenty four hour rainfall through 7 am CDT on 04/30/2009. |
| During the wee hours of the 28th, precipitation became widespread from central into northeast Arkansas. Two to four inch amounts were common from Little Rock (Pulaski County) to Jonesboro (Craighead County). There was locally over five inches of rain.
Similar amounts were noted in the southwest during the afternoon and evening of the 29th. However, it could have been worse. More than ten inches of rain fell during this time frame along the Red River (Oklahoma and Texas border).
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| Additional April Details |
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| For more details about April, 2009...go to the "Temperatures and Precipitation" section below. |
| Temperatures and Precipitation |
| Temperatures were generally at or slightly below normal in most areas in April. Readings at Little Rock are shown to right. |
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Rainfall was above normal from southwest through central and northeast Arkansas, and at or below normal elsewhere. Amounts at Little Rock are shown to left. |
| To right, a look at precipitation across the state. |
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| For a look at actual temperatures and precipitation in Arkansas as measured by the cooperative observer network, click here. |
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