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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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September 2009 Storm Report |
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| Short Weather Summary |
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| September is usually one of the driest months of the year, but not this time around. There was record rainfall in some areas, with a few spots picking up more than a foot of precipitation. Cooler than normal temperatures were noted in much of the Summer, and this carried over into September. |
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| There were only a couple of record low temperatures in early September. Check out the records below. |
| Site |
Record Low (Date of Occurrence) |
| North Little Rock |
57 (09/01), 58 (09/02) |
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Rain was heavy to excessive, with more than double (200%) the normal rainfall common. Surpluses were generally highest in the south at locations such as El Dorado (Union County) and Texarkana (Miller County). |
| In the picture: Percent of normal rainfall in September, 2009. |
| Rainfall in September, 2009 |
| Site |
Amount |
Normal |
+/- |
% of Normal |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
6.30 |
4.83 |
+1.47 |
130% |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
9.80 |
4.03 |
+5.77 |
243% |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
7.98 |
3.12 |
+4.86 |
256% |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
7.23 |
3.61 |
+3.62 |
200% |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
6.44 |
3.71 |
+2.73 |
174% |
| West Memphis (EC AR) |
6.64 |
3.26 |
+3.38 |
204% |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
12.46 |
3.40 |
+9.06 |
366% |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
10.49 |
3.29 |
+7.20 |
319% |
| Monticello (SE AR) |
8.72 |
3.21 |
+5.51 |
272% |
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These totals were somewhat remarkable in that a tropical system is usually involved with so much rain this time of year. Of course, there were several rainfall records broken...including 16.26 inches at Pine Ridge (Montgomery County)! On the 16th, Little Rock was assured of above normal precipitation for 2009. On that day, totals exceeded 51 inches for the year (50.93 inches is the annual average).
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| Much of this rain was associated with a storm system that wobbled from eastern Texas into southwest Arkansas in mid-September. |
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| In the picture: The pattern at 700 am CDT on 09/14/2009. A storm system aloft ("L") was over northeast Texas, with a ridge of high pressure in the eastern United States and a building ridge in the Rockies keeping the system nearly stationary. |
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For the seventy two hour period ending at 700 am CDT on the 18th, more than six inches of rain was measured mainly from central into southern Arkansas. Arguably, the hardest hit area may have been portions of Calhoun and Ouachita Counties (southern Arkansas).
Late on the 17th/early on the 18th, U.S. Highway 278 was closed for much of the night between Camden (Ouachita County) and Hampton (Calhoun County). Water was over Arkansas Highway 57 near Stephens and Chidester (both in Ouachita County). At Locust Bayou (Calhoun County), an elderly couple had to be rescued as four feet of water flowed into their home.
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| Seventy Two Hour Rainfall (through 700 am CDT on 09/18/2009) |
| Site |
Amount (Inches) |
| Pine Ridge (Montgomery Co) |
9.49 |
| Mena (Polk Co) |
9.02 |
| Damascus (Van Buren Co) |
8.22 |
| Blakely Mtn Dam (Garland Co) |
7.60 |
| Searcy (White Co) |
7.03 |
| Leola (Grant Co) |
7.01 |
| Bonnerdale (Hot Spring Co) |
6.81 |
| Conway (Faulkner Co) |
6.80 |
| Moro Bay State Park (Bradley Co) |
6.65 |
| Morrilton (Conway Co) |
6.38 |
| Crystal Valley (Pulaski Co) |
6.28 |
| Augusta (Woodruff Co) |
6.15 |
| Felsenthal Lock and Dam (Union Co) |
6.10 |
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On the 15th, daily rainfall records were broken at Little Rock and North Little Rock (both in Pulaski County). Both spots had 3.50 inches. There was also a record at Texarkana (Miller County), with 4.82 inches measured. At El Dorado (Union County), 3.86 inches fell on the 17th (a record for the day).
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There was more heavy rain on the 21st, but this event featured most of the severe weather experienced during the month (which was limited). A line of storms produced wind damage in the Arkansas River Valley from Clarksville (Johnson County) to Conway (Faulkner County). |
| In the picture: The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed a line of showers and thunderstorms sagging southward through northern Arkansas (with heavy to excessive rain), and a bow echo (backward "C" shaped line of storms) racing from western into central sections of the state during the evening of 09/21/2009. |
| In the Tropics |
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There were only two named storms in September, which is usually the busiest month of the year. Tropical Storm Erika formed on the 1st in the western Atlantic...not far from the Lesser Antilles. The system moved across Puerto Rico and skirted the northern shore of the Dominican Republic before dissipating on the 3rd.
Fred formed over the far eastern Atlantic on the 7th, and quickly became a hurricane on the 8th. The system eventually became a Category 3 storm, but was not a threat to land. Fred turned to the north and fell apart over open water on the 12th.
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| Additional September Details |
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| For more details about September, 2009...go to the "Temperatures and Precipitation" section below. |
| Temperatures and Precipitation |
| Temperatures were below normal in September. Readings at Little Rock are shown to right. |
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Rainfall was above to much above normal in most areas. 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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