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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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July 2009 Storm Report |
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| Short Weather Summary |
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| The Summer started hot and dry in June. That all changed in July, with a lot of rain and below normal temperatures. More than ten inches of precipitation occurred in some areas, which set records. Along with the rain came several rounds of severe weather, and isolated tornadoes. |
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| There were numerous record low temperatures on July 18th and 19th. Check out the records below. |
| Site |
Record Low (Date of Occurrence) |
| Batesville |
56T (07/18), 58 (07/19) |
| El Dorado |
60 (07/19) |
| Fayetteville |
52 (07/18) |
| Fort Smith |
61 (07/18) |
| Gilbert |
53T (07/19) |
| Harrison |
55 (07/19) |
| Hot Springs |
61 (07/18) |
| North Little Rock |
61 (07/18), 64T (07/19), 65T (07/22) |
| Pine Bluff |
62 (07/18), 63 (07/19) |
| Texarkana |
62 (07/19) |
| Note: "T" means record was tied. |
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High pressure shifted to the west of Arkansas in July. This created a northwest wind flow aloft, which drove storm systems and fronts into the state from the Plains. |
| In the picture: High pressure ("H") built into the western United States as a trough of low pressure ("L") deepened east of the Mississippi River in mid-July 2009. |
| Even when hot weather occurred, it did not last. In fact, excessive heat on the 13th was followed by record cool temperatures (behind a cold front) on the 18th and 19th. |
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| In the picture: Temperatures and heat index values at 500 pm CDT on 07/13/2009. Very hot conditions existed in southern and western Arkansas ahead of a cold front. |
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Heavy to excessive rain fell at times. Some spots received more than 200 percent of normal rainfall for the month, such as Jonesboro (Craighead County), Little Rock (Pulaski County) and Texarkana (Miller County). Only the extreme northwest had subpar precipitation. |
| In the picture: Percent of normal rainfall in July, 2009. |
| Rainfall in July, 2009 |
| Site |
Amount |
Normal |
+/- |
% of Normal |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
4.04 |
3.14 |
+0.90 |
129% |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
5.53 |
2.72 |
+2.81 |
203% |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
6.87 |
2.73 |
+4.14 |
252% |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
4.66 |
3.19 |
+1.47 |
146% |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
11.65 |
3.31 |
+8.34 |
352% |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
7.52 |
3.32 |
+4.20 |
227% |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
9.73 |
3.78 |
+5.95 |
257% |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
5.09 |
4.13 |
+0.96 |
123% |
| Monticello (SE AR) |
7.09 |
4.07 |
+3.02 |
174% |
| At Little Rock (Pulaski County), the monthly total of 11.65 inches made it the wettest July on record (breaking the previous record of 9.23 inches in 1891). |
| Rainfall/Temperature Records for July |
| Site |
Rain/Rank |
Record Wettest/Year |
Average Temp/Rank |
Record Coolest/Year |
| Little Rock (Pulaski Co) |
11.65/1st |
9.23/1891 |
79.0/12th |
76.6/1891 |
| Severe Storms |
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| While severe weather usually peaks in the Spring, it was quite stormy in July. On the 21st, three weak tornadoes (rated EF0) were spawned in Faulkner and Jefferson Counties (central into southeast Arkansas). |
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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. |
| Stronger tornadoes were produced during the afternoon of the 30th. This included a tornado (rated EF2) that tracked 32 miles through Arkansas and Phillips Counties (southeast Arkansas), and caused extensive tree damage. This was the longest track on record for the month in the state. |
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One of the larger events occurred on the 16th, with wind damage in southern and western Arkansas. This came during a transition from hot to much cooler cool conditions. |
| In the picture: The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed widespread showers and thunderstorms building across southern Arkansas between 401 pm CDT and 802 pm CDT on 07/16/2009. |
| In the Tropics |
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| There were no tropical systems noted in July (in the Atlantic basin). |
| Additional July Details |
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| For more details about July, 2009...go to the "Temperatures and Precipitation" section below. |
| Temperatures and Precipitation |
| Temperatures were below normal in July. Readings at Little Rock are shown to right. |
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Rainfall was above to well above normal in most areas, and below normal in the extreme northwest. 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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