 |
| Yearly Reports |
| Interested in what kind of weather occurred in a recent year? Check out the
most memorable events below. |
|
|
 |
Heavy Rain on January 12-15, 2007 |
 |
| |
 |
A cold front pushed into Arkansas from the northwest on January
12th...and stalled across southeast sections of the state. A very shallow cold air
mass (behind the front) gave the front little forward momentum. Also, winds aloft
paralleled the front...with little if any push to the south. Meanwhile,
deep southerly winds ahead of a storm system in the Rockies provided
copious moisture...with heavy rain developing along and north of the stalled front. |
| In the picture:
The pattern on 01/14/07...with a front stalled from the Ohio Valley into
southern Arkansas and a storm system ("L")
approaching from the Rockies. A deep southerly wind flow was present
ahead of the system, with a lot of moisture pulled northward from the
Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rain developed...and was
focused near the front. |
 |
| In the picture:
Rainfall at major reporting stations for the seventy two hour
period ending at 7 am CST on 01/15/2007. "E" is estimated
precipitation. |
|
|
| Three to five inch rainfall amounts were common across
much of the state through 7 am CST on the 15th. Many areas picked up
more than five inches of rain. At Little Rock (Pulaski County), 6.53 inches was
reported...with 6.30 inches at Hot Springs (Garland County), 5.87 inches at
Texarkana (Miller County) and 5.75 inches at Mount Ida (Montgomery
County).
Due to the rain, there were quite a few reports of flash flooding.
For example, in the Little Rock (Pulaski County) area...several streets were barricaded due to high
water. Water flowed across Highway 294 near Furlow (Lonoke County) and
Highway 300 around Perry (Perry County). A bridge was washed out at Amity (Clark County)...with
water covering roads near Wilburn (Cleburne County), Mountain View (Stone County), and in several
parts of Clark, Cleburne, Faulkner, Pike, Sharp and White Counties.
There was at least one flash flood death reported. A college student
was driving through rural Izard County during the wee hours of the 14th,
and tried to cross Piney Creek (5 miles north of Mount Pleasant).
Normally, the creek is not a problem...but it was swollen and fast moving
at the time he arrived. His vehicle was swept off the road, and he
apparently drowned.
|
| The heaviest rain during the event fell from southwest
through central and into northeast Arkansas. This was generally along and
north of the stalled front in the southeastern counties. |
|
| In the picture:
Estimated rainfall in Arkansas for the seventy two hour period ending at
7 am CST on 01/15/2007. |
| Rainfall was on a par or even exceeded what is
normally expected for the entire month of January! In general, two to
five inches of precipitation is considered normal for the
month. |
| Normal
Precipitation in January, 2007 |
| Site |
Amount
(in.) |
| Fayetteville (NW AR) |
2.14 |
| Harrison (NC AR) |
2.51 |
| Jonesboro (NE AR) |
3.29 |
| Fort Smith (WC AR) |
2.37 |
| Little Rock (C AR) |
3.61 |
| W Memphis (EC AR) |
4.07 |
| Texarkana (SW AR) |
3.57 |
| El Dorado (SC AR) |
4.93 |
| Monticello (SE AR) |
5.14 |
 |
While it was raining in Arkansas, it was cold enough to support wintry precipitation
north and west of the state. From Oklahoma into southeast
Kansas and into Missouri, shallow cold air yielded icing...with
rain falling into below freezing air near the ground. |
| In the picture: A
cold front pushed southeastward into Arkansas from 8 am CST on
01/12/2007 to 8 am CST on 01/13/2006. Temperatures dropped
quickly behind the front, but below freezing air had
difficulty breaking through the terrain in northwest sections of
the state. |
| A major ice storm occurred in these areas. Farther northwest, the cold
air was deeper...with light snow from the high Plains into portions of
the upper Midwest. |
 |
| In the picture:
Ice Storm and Winter Storm Warnings were adjacent to
Flood and Flash Flood Watches at 930 am CST on 01/13/2007. |
| The storm system in the Rockies arrived on the 15th, with
the stalled front forced to move out of Arkansas. Much colder conditions
followed the front, with falling temperatures through the day. While moisture
departed as Arctic air arrived, it did not leave fast enough. There was a period
of freezing rain or sleet late on the 14th/early on the 15th in areas north and west of
Little Rock (Pulaski County). Even so, amounts were generally light with
minimal icing noted in most areas. |
| Pictures |
|
| Area tributaries (creeks, streams and
rivers) ran high due to excessive rainfall.
Flood Photos |
|
|
Flash flooding occurred on January 13th from southwest
through central into portions of northern Arkansas. For a
look at flash flood reports, click here. |
| In the picture:
Preliminary reports of flash flooding in the Little
Rock County Warning Area on January 13, 2007 (in red). |
|
|
www.weather.gov
