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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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May 2009 Storm Report |
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| Short Weather Summary |
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| There was too much rain in May. Excessive precipitation led to the first flash flood fatalities of the year. Rivers ran high, especially the Ouachita River in southern Arkansas. Severe storms hit mostly early in the month, with bow echoes (i.e. damaging wind producing storms) common. |
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| There were a couple of low temperature records in May (on the 18th). Check out the records below. |
| Site |
Record Low (Date of Occurrence) |
| El Dorado |
46 (05/18) |
| Texarkana |
48 (05/18) |
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It was a very wet May across Arkansas. Some spots in central and southern sections of the state picked up more than 15 inches of rain (200 to 300 percent of normal or more). |
| In the picture: Percent of normal rainfall in May, 2009. |
| Rainfall in May, 2009 |
| Site |
Amount |
Normal |
+/- |
% of Normal |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
7.95 |
5.06 |
+2.89 |
157% |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
6.90 |
5.01 |
+1.89 |
138% |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
8.35 |
4.92 |
+3.43 |
170% |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
8.91 |
5.29 |
+3.62 |
168% |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
13.06 |
5.05 |
+8.01 |
259% |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
8.05 |
5.06 |
+2.99 |
159% |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
10.96 |
4.29 |
+6.67 |
255% |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
10.00 |
5.49 |
+4.51 |
182% |
| Monticello (SE AR) |
11.43 |
4.77 |
+6.66 |
240% |
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There was flash flooding at times. On the 24th, an SUV was swept off of a county road by high water about three miles northeast of Brookland (Craighead County). Two people in the vehicle drowned. At Jonesboro (Craighead County), a teenage boy was was swept away by water while playing in a ditch.
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| The Ouachita River was at its highest level in 20 years. At Camden (Ouachita County), the river crested just above 39 feet on the 9th/10th...which was the ninth highest stage on record. |
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| In the picture: Water from the Ouachita River covered much of Sandy Beach Park in Camden (Ouachita County) on 05/10/2009. Click to enlarge. |
| Severe Storms |
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Severe weather occurred mostly during the first half of May. Early on the 6th, bow echoes downed trees (some on houses) around Stuttgart (Arkansas County) and Monticello (Drew County). On the 8th, a bow produced 60 to 70 mph winds along the Arkansas and Missouri border. |
| In the picture: The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed a very impressive bow echo (backward "C" shaped line of storms) in southern Missouri at 848 am CDT on 05/08/2009. Bows often produce strong to damaging winds. Numerous Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Warnings were issued along the track of the bow. |
| Additional May Details |
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| For more details about May, 2009...go to the "Temperatures and Precipitation" section below. |
| Temperatures and Precipitation |
| Temperatures were generally at or a little below normal in May. Readings at Little Rock are shown to right. |
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Rainfall was above to well above normal, especially in central and southern Arkansas. 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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