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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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March 2009 Storm Report |
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| Short Weather Summary |
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| March was a month with a potential for big weather events, but they did not pan out. A wintry mix developed on the 12th, but did not add up to much. On the 27th, a colossal storm brought flooding to the Gulf Coast and a blizzard to the Plains...but mostly bypassed Arkansas. |
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| There were several record high temperatures in the Little Rock (Pulaski County) area in early March. Check out the records below. |
| Site |
Record High (Date of Occurrence) |
| Little Rock |
84 (03/08) |
| North Little Rock |
75 (03/05), 78 (03/06), 80 (03/08), 78T (03/10) |
| Note: "T" means record was tied. |
| Storms Without Much Bite |
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| After a cold start to March, temperatures warmed up markedly through the 8th. In addition, there was little in the way of precipitation. |
| Data for March, 2009 (through the 8th) |
| Site |
Temperature (°F) |
+/- |
Precipitation (Inches) |
+/- |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
50.1° |
+5.2° |
0.01" |
-0.96" |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
49.3° |
+4.1° |
0.00" |
-0.89" |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
48.5° |
+2.0° |
TRACE |
-1.12" |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
53.1° |
+3.9° |
0.00" |
-0.95" |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
53.5° |
+3.4° |
0.01" |
-1.13" |
| North Little Rock (C AR) |
52.9° |
+2.0° |
TRACE |
-1.16" |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
56.6° |
+2.4° |
TRACE |
-1.04" |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
56.8° |
+3.6° |
TRACE |
-1.31" |
| Monticello (SE AR) |
55.1° |
+4.9° |
TRACE |
-1.54" |
| A dominant southern stream (southwest wind flow aloft) brought the warmup, with record afternoon readings in the lower to mid 80s in spots. The flow carried storm systems to the north of Arkansas, with heavy precipitation from the central Plains to the mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. |
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A cold front pushed through Arkansas late on the 10th/early on the 11th, and the pattern began changing. It turned much colder, and precipitation shifted southward with the front. |
| In the picture: The pattern at 7 am CDT on 03/12/2009. Rain was noted in southern Arkansas, with a wintry mix farther north as moisture encountered colder air surrounding high pressure ("H") in Iowa. |
| On the 12th, it was cold enough for snow in the northern counties...and there was at least a chance for significant accumulations around the Missouri border. However, dry air surrounding high pressure in the upper Midwest kept snow to a minimum...with little more than flurries in most areas. There was some freezing rain toward central sections of the state, but icing was minor. Heavy rainfall was noted in the southern counties, with two to three amounts and locally more.
Another storm system brought another round of rain (one to two inches) to the region on the 24th, but the system of the month approached on the 27th. A severe weather outbreak was possible during the late afternoon and evening hours, but it did not materialize locally.
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| Instead, excessive rain fell along the Gulf Coast. Over five inches fell in portions of southern Mississippi and southern Alabama, with more than ten inches in spots. Flash flooding became a concern in areas where drought conditions existed. |
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| In the picture: Ninety six hour (four day) rainfall totals through 7 am CDT on 03/28/2009. |
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Farther north and west, blizzard conditions developed from the Texas panhandle into western Kansas. Up to two feet of snow fell in places where Winter snow totals were well below normal. |
| In the picture: Heavy snow spread from the Plains toward the Great Lakes through 03/28/2009. |
| As the system departed, it became very windy in Arkansas. During the morning of the 28th, gusts of 30 to 40 mph were common. There was a 63 mph gust reported at Newport (Jackson County). |
| Wind Gusts |
| Site |
Gust (mph) |
| Newport (Jackson Co) |
63 |
| Fairmont (Prairie Co) |
45 |
| Little Rock Air Force Base (Pulaski Co) |
45 |
| Searcy (White Co) |
41 |
| Little Rock (Pulaski Co) |
40 |
| Pine Bluff (Jefferson Co) |
39 |
| Arkadelphia (Clark Co) |
37 |
| Guy (Faulkner Co) |
37 |
| Monticello (Drew Co) |
36 |
| Note: Gusts were from the south or southwest. |
| Additional March Details |
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| For more details about March, 2009...go to the "Temperatures and Precipitation" section below. |
| Temperatures and Precipitation |
| Averaging the temperature peaks and valleys, readings were at or a little above normal in March. Readings at Little Rock are shown to right. |
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Rainfall was generally below normal in northern Arkansas, and at or above normal farther south. 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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