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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Little Rock AR
1040 AM CST Mon Jan 4 2021
...A Review of 2020 Weather and Climate Data for the State of
Arkansas...
Summary...
Taking a very preliminary look at 2020 for the state of Arkansas, the
average temperature was about the same as 2019. In terms of warmest
and coldest years on record, it was about the 31st warmest since state
averages have been tabulated (1895-Present). Temperatures varied
considerably across the state, and the range for the year was 91
degrees, with a coldest reading of 10 degrees on February 14th and
15th at several stations in north central Arkansas to the hottest
reading of 101, which occurred on August 10th in the Batesville
area.
Looking at data for the state for each year, the last time the
hottest reported temperature in the state during a given year was
101 degrees or less was in 1979.
Considering departures from normal, January, February, March, July,
November and December were positive (warmer than average), while
April, May, June, August, September, and October were colder
than average.
Overall, wet weather prevailed through the year. Considering
state averages, only two months saw below average rainfall, and this
was in November and December. The remaining months were above average,
and in several cases over 1 inch above. Considering departures from
normal, the wettest month was August, which was 3.22 inches above
average, and also in the top ten wettest Augusts. However,
considering monthly average totals, the wettest month was March.
Snow fell in January, February, April, November and December. With
the exception of November, it was measurable in all the other months.
There were no significant winter storms during the year. However, a
late-season storm in mid-April brought measurable snowfall to far
northwest Arkansas. In early December, snow fell in the higher
elevations of the Ozarks, with most areas near or above 2,000
feet seeing one to two inches of snow. Another winter storm brought
two to six inches of snow to the Ozarks and the higher elevations of
the Ouachita Mountains December 13th-14th. On New Years Eve, freezing
rain fell in the Ozarks, with about 1/10 to 1/4 inch of ice, and this
lasted into New Years Day of 2021.
There were 44 tornadoes during the year, which was 5 above the 1991-
2010 average of 39. There were several outbreaks during the year,
with the first occurring during the overnight hours on January 10-11.
Another occurred in western Arkansas on March 19th, and in portions of
southwest and central Arkansas May 16. A notable outbreak was due to
the remnants of Hurricane Laura, and this occurred on August 27th.
Eight tornadoes hit primarily in eastern Arkansas, and this ended up
being the largest tornado outbreak on record in the month of August
in Arkansas. By far, the most significant tornado, however, occurred
on March 28th, when an EF3 tornado hit in the Jonesboro and Brookland
areas, injuring 22. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.
On Easter Sunday, April 12, severe thunderstorms raked across the
southern half of Arkansas. In a span of about 5 hours, the storms
produced damaging wind gusts of 60-80 MPH or more and knocked out
power to at least 150,000 utility customers. There were numerous
reports of trees and power lines downed, with trees blocking roads.
There were trees reported on residences, and several outbuildings
and sheds were destroyed. One person was killed at White Hall when
a tree fell on a house, and another person was injured at Glen Rose.
12 counties were declared disaster areas. One electric utility
president and CEO even stated the damage was comparable to the
back to back ice storms in December 2000.
Arkansas even felt the effects of a record hurricane season. On
June 8th-9th, the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal moved
through southeast and central Arkansas and exited north central
Arkansas. The system produced two to four-inch rains near and to the
east of the center of circulation. Also, record low June sea level
pressures were set at Pine Bluff, North Little Rock, and Harrison. On
August 27, the remnants of Hurricane Laura moved through southern, central
and northeast Arkansas. The system produced tropical storm force winds in
portions of the state, as well as heavy rainfall, and record low August
pressures were observed at Harrison, Little Rock, North Little Rock, and
Pine Bluff. On September 22nd-24th, the remnants of Tropical Storm Beta
passed south of Arkansas, but brought heavy rainfall to much of the southern
half of the state with totals as high as six to seven inches in places. In
October, the remnants of Hurricane Delta moved across far southeast Arkansas,
with two to four-inch rainfall in places, and over seven inches at Eudora.
As far as individual locations within the state go, the warmest location was
Portland in Ashley County, with an average temperature of 64.8 degrees. The
coolest location was Evening Shade, with an average temperature of 57.0 degrees.
The wettest location was 12.9 miles northwest of Mena, with 100.03 inches of
rainfall. Since written weather history in Arkansas began (1819), this is only
the third documented year an individual location within the state has reached
or exceeded 100 inches of rainfall. The others were in 2015 and 2009. The
driest location in the state in 2020 was near West Fork with 41.50 inches
of rainfall.
Arkansas Tornadoes in 2020...
No. Date Rating Began Ended Path Length Counties
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Jan. 10 EF2 2.0 SE Cove 1.0 E Tokalon 13.6 Logan
2 Jan. 10 EF1 3.2 ESE Cecil 3.4 S Ozark 3.9 Franklin
3 Jan. 11 EF1 1.0 E Seaton 4.0 N Allport 0.4 Lonoke
4 Jan. 11 EF1 3.0 NW West Crossett 3.0 WNW North Crossett 4.5 Ashley
5 Jan. 11 EF1 6.0 NNW North Crossett 2.0 NNW Hamburg 9.1 Ashley
6 Jan. 11 EF1 1.0 NW North Crossett 3.0 SE Hamburg 10.3 Ashley
7 Jan. 11 EF2 3.0 NE Hamburg 3.7 W Ashton 20.5 Ashley,
Chicot
8 Jan. 11 EF1 0.2 S Jerome 0.7 E Jerome 0.8 Drew
9 Jan. 11 EF1 2.0 WNW Lake Village 2.0 W Metcalfe, MS 17.8 Chicot,
Washington (MS)
10 Jan. 11 EF1 1.0 S Lake Village 1.0 S Lake Village 0.2 Chicot
11 Jan. 11 EF2 5.4 NE Leland 0.9 WNW N Greenville MS 4.0 Chicot,
Washington (MS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 Mar. 19 EF2 2.0 SW Everton 3.0 WSW Yellville 12.5 Boone, Marion
13 Mar. 19 EF1 3.0 NNE Gassville 3.0 W Mountain Home 2.2 Baxter
14 Mar. 19 EF1 4.5 NNE Hector 5.0 NNE Hector 0.8 Pope
15 Mar. 19 EF1 6.2 SE Smyrna 5.8 WSW Rupert 2.8 Pope,
Van Buren
16 Mar. 19 EF1 4.0 NE Evening Shade 4.0 N Poughkeepsie 5.7 Sharp
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
17 Mar. 28 EF1 4.0 S Amagon 3.0 E Amagon 5.3 Jackson
18 Mar. 28 EF3 2.1 SSE Jonesboro 3.4 NE Brookland 12.6 Craighead
19 Mar. 28 EF1 6.4 E Paragould 8.6 ENE Paragould 3.0 Greene
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
20 Apr. 08 EF0 5.5 SW Cash 5.5 SW Cash 0.9 Craighead
21 Apr. 08 EF2 9.3 NW Harrisburg Harrisburg 9.4 Poinsett
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
22 Apr. 24 EF1 3.0 S Cass 3.0 S Cass 0.5 Franklin
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
23 Apr. 28 EF2 8.0 E Hochatown (OK) 6.0 NW Lockesburg 20.1 McCurtain (OK),
Sevier
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 May 15 EF0 3.0 N Sherrill (Landspout) 0.0 Jefferson
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
25 May 16 EF(unk) 5.0 SW Foreman 5.0 SE Tom (OK) 2.2 Little River,
McCurtain (OK)
26 May 16 EF1 9.0 E Texarkana 8.0 ENE Texarkana 2.2 Miller
27 May 16 EF0 6.0 W Fulton 0.1 Little River
28 May 16 EF1 4.0 NNW Waldo 5.0 SSW Willisville 2.7 Columbia,
Nevada
29 May 16 EF1 2.0 SE Bodcaw 1.0 E Bodcaw 1.9 Nevada
30 May 16 EF0 3.0 E Blevins 0.5 Hempstead
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
31 May 25 EF1 Lewisville Lewisville 0.3 Lafayette
32 May 25 EF(unk) 2.9 SSE W Hartford 1.8 SE W Hartford 1.3 Sebastian
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
33 Jul. 01 EF0 4.0 ENE Marmaduke (Landspout) 0.0 Greene
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
34 Aug. 27 EF0 2.0 WNW Palestine 2.2 St. Francis
35 Aug. 27 EF0 3.0 N McCrory 4.0 N McCrory 1.3 Woodruff
36 Aug. 27 EF1 1.6 S Hickory Ridge 0.7 NNW Hickory Ridge 2.2 Cross
37 Aug. 27 EF1 2.4 NW Cash 0.6 E Egypt 3.6 Craighead
38 Aug. 27 EF0 2.8 W Lepanto 3.4 WNW Lepanto 0.9 Poinsett
39 Aug. 27 EF1 2.5 WSW Lake City 5.5 NW Lake City 4.5 Craighead
40 Aug. 27 EF1 3.7 NNE Brookland 4.0 N Brookland 0.9 Craighead
41 Aug. 27 EF2 2.0 S Biggers 5.0 NNW Attica 14.0 Randolph
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
42 Sep. 01 EF1 2.0 NE Plumerville 3.0 N Menifee 3.2 Conway
43 Sep. 01 EF0 3.0 NW Wooster 3.0 WNW Greenbrier 3.2 Faulkner
44 Sep. 01 EF2 4.0 S Heber Springs 5.0 ESE Heber Springs 5.3 Cleburne
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
45 Nov. 15 EF1 1.0 SSW Romance 2.3 SE Romance 2.0 White
Data listed below are extremes and averages observe during the year. Please
remember...most of the data below are preliminary until final quality control
by the National Center for Environmental Information in Asheville, North
Carolina.
2020 Annual Extremes (from official reporting stations)...
Hottest Temperature................101 Aug. 10th Batesville Regional Airport
Coldest Temperature................ 10 Feb. 15th Mountain Home 1 NNW
Feb. 14th Dennard 10 WSW, Lead Hill
Highest Annual Rainfall....... 100.03 Mena 12.9 NW
Lowest Annual Rainfall........ 41.50 West Fork 0.1 SSW
Highest Annual Snowfall....... 7.0 Jasper 3.8 SE, Rogers 2.4 SSW
Highest Snow Depth............ 6 Dec. 14th Decatur 2.6 ESE
Holiday Island 1.3 SSW
Rogers 2.4 SSW
Dec. 13th Harrison 10.6 SW
State of Arkansas 2020 Temperature Averages*...
* - Statewide temperature and precipitation averages and rankings are tabulated
for the period 1895 to Present.
(DFN = Departure from Normal)
Month Average Temperature DFN Coldest Since Warmest Since Rank (Warmest/Coldest)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 43.8 +4.5 2017 20th Warmest
February 44.3 +1.2 2015 50th Warmest
March 56.5 +5.2 2012 14th Warmest
April 58.8 -1.7 2018 28th Coldest
May 66.7 -2.0 1997 22nd Coldest
June 76.4 -0.1 2018 58th Coldest
July* 81.3 +1.0 2018 34th Warmest
August* 77.8 -1.5 2017 31st Coldest
September* 71.8 -1.0 2011 44th Coldest
October* 59.5 -2.3 2012 23rd Coldest
November* 54.1 +4.2 2016 16th Warmest
December* 42.8 +1.3 2017 46th Warmest
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual* 61.1 +0.7 2014 38th Warmest
* - final rankings could end up slightly different, especially December and annual
Arkansas Daily Temperature Extremes for 2020...
Month Highest Location(s) Date(s) Lowest Location(s) Date(s)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 75 Booneville RAWS 15th 13 Dennard 10 WSW 20th
Monticello, Crossett 11th Kingston 2 S
Nimrod Dam 17th
Camden 9th
Feb 85 Silver Hill RAWS 2nd 10 Mountain Home 1 NNW 15th
Lead Hill 14th
Dennard 10 WSW
Mar 92 Fort Smith 26th 23 Calico Rock 2 WSW 8th
Silver Hill RAWS
Crossett 28th
Apr 94 Booneville RAWS 8th 26 Marshall 15th
Blue Mountain Dam 9th
May 94 Wynne 26th 33 Marshall 9th
Jun 99 Harrison 5th 51 Mountainburg 2 NE 11th
Jessieville RAWS
Lead Hill
Marshall
Jul 100 Booneville RAWS 10th 50 Kingston 2 S 4th
Aug 101 Batesville Airport 10th 48 Lead Hill 18th
Sep 97 Eudora 7th 40 FYV Drake Field 29th
Oct 94 Benton 22nd 29 Poinsett State Park 31st
Nov 84 Crossett 2 SSE 8th 19 FYV Drake Field 30th
Eudora Batesville 8 WNW
Blytheville Airport 9th
Dec 79 Morrilton 11th 11 Kingston 2 S 26th
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual 101 Batesville Airport Aug. 10 10 Mountain Home 1 NNW Feb. 15th
Lead Hill, Dennard 10 WSW Feb. 14th
State of Arkansas 2020 Rainfall Averages...
Month Avg. Rain DFN Wettest Since Driest Since Rank
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 6.22 +2.18 2007 18th Wettest
Feb 5.76 +2.04 2017 17th Wettest
Mar 7.28 +2.51 2016 15th Wettest
Apr 6.05 +1.01 2018 32nd Wettest
May 6.81 +1.66 2018 30th Wettest
Jun 4.71 +0.63 2018 43rd Wettest
Jul* 3.63 -0.08 2018 61st Driest
Aug* 6.68 +3.30 2016 7th Wettest
Sep* 5.67 +2.08 2009 17th Wettest
Oct* 4.43 +0.97 2017 42nd Wettest
Nov* 1.89 -2.40 2017 18th Driest
Dec* 4.30 -0.07 2018 67th Driest
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual*63.43 +13.83 2017 11th Wettest
* - final rankings could end up slightly different, especially December and annual
Arkansas Daily Rainfall Extremes for 2020...
Month Highest Daily Location(s) Date(s)
------------------------------------------------------
Jan 5.20 Omaha 2 S 11th
Feb 5.00 Rison 12th
Mar 4.47 DeQueen 16th
Apr 3.73 Monticello 12th
May 5.60 Bee Branch 5.4 ENE 17th
Jun 5.56 Mount Ida 12.2 E 30th
Jul 5.05 Rogers 2.4 SSW 22nd
Aug 7.57 Mena 13th
Sep 7.00 Waldron 01st
Oct 7.10 Eudora 10th
Nov 1.70 Springdale 2.3 S 22nd
Dec 4.26 Rohwer 2 NNE 31st
------------------------------------------------------
Annual 7.57 Mena August 13th
Arkansas Monthly Rainfall Extremes for 2020...
Month Highest Location(s) Lowest Location(s)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 11.92 Portland 2.34 Camden
Feb 12.03 Eudora 1.38 Kingston 5 NW
Mar 13.50 McGehee 1 NE 1.85 Mena Airport
Apr 11.33 Kelso 2.46 Kingston 5 NW
May 16.18 Waldron 1.40 Rohwer 2 NNE
Jun 14.44 Sheridan 1.2 S 0.35 Pea Ridge 0.2 WSW
Jul 8.66 Rogers 2.4 SSW 0.52 Alicia 2 NNE
Aug 19.71 Dierks 0.20 Bella Vista 0.6 WSW
Sep 12.75 Mena 12.9 NW 0.29 Bentonville Municipal Airport
Oct 12.37 Mountain Home 6.3 E 0.34 Jessieville
Nov 3.52 Clinton Municipal Airport 0.77 Texarkana Webb Field
Dec 8.37 Monticello 0.84 Batesville Livestock
-------------------------------------------------------------
Annual 19.71 Dierks (August) 0.20 Bella Vista 0.6 WSW (August)
Arkansas Snowfall Extremes for 2020...
(all data is from official reporting stations)
Month Highest Daily Location(s) Date(s) Highest Monthly Location(s)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 1.5 Compton 24th 1.5 Compton
February 1.0 Marshall 7th 1.3" Ozone
Bruno 3.1 SSE 6th
Dennard 10 WSW 6th
March -------------------None Reported-------------------
April 1.5" Harrison 10.6 SW 14th 1.5" Harrison 10.6 SW
May -------------------None Reported-------------------
October -------------------None Reported-------------------
November T Jonesboro, Wynne 30th T Jonesboro, Wynne
December 6.0" Decatur 2.6 ESE 14th 6.0" Decatur 2.6 ESE
Rogers 2.4 SSW Rogers 2.4 SSW
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual 6.0" Decatur 2.6 ESE, (Dec. 14th) 6.0" Decatur 2.6 ESE, (Dec.)
Rogers 2.4 SSW Rogers 2.4 SSW
Significant Weather Events During the Year...
January...
Jan. 10-11 Severe thunderstorms occurred, with wind damage reported over
northern, central and eastern Arkansas, primarily during the overnight hours.
11 tornadoes occurred, primarily over southeast Arkansas. Two to five-inch
rainfall amounts were common. The heavy rainfall also caused rises on area
rivers, with flooding noted on the Black, Cache, Eleven Point, Fourche
LaFave, Ouachita, Petit Jean, Spring, and White Rivers, and the Arkansas
River west of Dardanelle.
Jan. 16-17 Light freezing rain occurred in northern Arkansas. Accruals of
around one tenth to one quarter of an inch were
reported, with a light glaze on elevated surfaces.
Jan. 22-24 A winter storm primarily affected the Ozarks and Ouachitas. Sleet
and snow amounts up to 1.5 inches were reported. Ice accruals in the higher
Ozarks were anywhere from 1/4 to over 3/4 of an inch.
February...
Feb. 4-6 Light snow fell in the Ozarks and Ouachitas, with amounts of half
an inch to an inch in places.
Feb. 9-12 Three to five inches of rain fell over central and southern Arkansas.
Isolated severe storms produced hail and wind damage in Ouachita County near
Chidester and north of Camden. Flash flooding was reported in Scott and Yell
County. Flooding continued at most forecast points along the Black, Cache,
Ouachita and lower White Rivers.
Feb. 20 Very light snow fell over portions of western and central Arkansas.
Feb. 24 An isolated severe storm caused wind damage near Evening Shade (Sharp
County) and also downed trees.
March...
Mar. 2 Small hail fell in portions of Boone and Marion counties.
Mar. 26 A warm front brought record high temperatures to a large part of the
state. Temperatures reached the lower 90s at Harrison, Fort Smith and El Dorado.
Most of the remainder of the state peaked in the mid to upper 80s.
Mar. 28 An EF3 tornado cut a 12-mile path across Craighead county, hitting
Jonesboro in the process. 22 people were injured.
April...
Apr. 8 Severe thunderstorms produced two tornadoes in Craighead and Poinsett
Counties. One tornado, rated EF2, struck the north side of Harrisburg, damaging
or destroying at least 30 homes, uprooting trees, and downing power lines.
Apr. 12 - On Easter Sunday, April 12, severe thunderstorms raked across the
southern half of Arkansas. In a span of about 5 hours, the storms produced
damaging wind gusts of 60-80 MPH or more and knocked out power to at least
150,000 utility customers. There were numerous reports of trees and power
lines downed, with trees blocking roads. There were trees reported on residences,
and several outbuildings and sheds were destroyed. One person was killed at
White Hall when a tree fell on a house, and another person was injured at Glen
Rose. 12 counties were declared disaster areas. One electric utility president
and CEO even stated the damage was comparable to the back to back ice storms in
December 2000.
May...
May 3 Severe thunderstorms produced a swath of large hail and some wind damage
from north central Arkansas to north of Memphis. The largest hailstones were up
to tennis ball size and fell around Mountain Home in Baxter County. There were
also golf ball to hen egg sized hail near Lakeview, Midway and Norfork. Half
dollar sized hail fell at Calico Rock. Trees and power lines were downed at
Brookland, Corning and Rector, as well as Dell, Osceola, and Evening Shade.
May 4 Another round of severe thunderstorms hit in northwest Arkansas. Baseball
to softball sized hail fell at Fayetteville, Rogers and Shady Grove, breaking
windshields, and denting vehicles and metal roofs. In Washington County, just
southeast of Johnson, a five-inch diameter hailstone was observed, tying the state
record for the largest hailstone. The record hailstone size of 5.00 inches was
originally set on January 21, 1999 and first tied on April 2, 2006.
May 8 In the early morning hours, severe thunderstorms below down trees in
portions of Polk, Sevier, Little River, Miller and Montgomery County. At De
Queen, three people had to be rescued after being trapped in a house hit by a
falling tree.
May 9 Very cold air moved into the state. Low temperatures dropped into the
30s in northern Arkansas, with some areas around Harrison and Marshall close
to freezing.
May 15 As rain moved away from northwest Arkansas, a wake low formed, with
winds gusting as high as 50 MPH and knocking down trees at Fayetteville. Also,
a brief landspout occurred north of Sherrill in Jefferson County.
May 16-17 Three to six inches of rain fell across much of the state, causing
flash flooding in places. Several roads were flooded and closed in Scott, Clark, and
Montgomery Counties. Severe thunderstorms downed trees in portions of Montgomery
and Clark Counties. At the Crystal Springs resort, winds below most of the tin
roofing off of one of the primary docks, set a few boats loose on the lake, and
uprooted or snapped several trees in the area. Several weak tornadoes hit in
southwest Arkansas.
May 22 During the early morning hours, frequent lightning struck several
houses in the Little Rock area and was responsible for at least three house fires
between 1 and 3 AM. That afternoon, severe thunderstorms produced a swath of wind
damage from just south of Morton (Woodruff County) to Fair Oaks (Cross County).
Winds gusted 70-80 MPH blowing down trees and snapping or downing utility poles.
A grain bin was damaged at Parkin (Cross County). There was damage to a high school
at Earle (Crittenden County), with some trees down as well. A camper was overturned
on I-55 near Turrell.
May 22-23 Heavy rain fell over western into central Arkansas, with three to five
inch amounts common in portions of Sebastian, Scott, Logan, Polk, Montgomery,
Pike, Garland, and Clark Counties, among others. Severe flash flooding occurred at
Waldron, Norman, and Booneville.
May 25 Severe thunderstorms produced wind damage, with trees and/or power lines
downed at Ogden, near Prescott, and at Stamps. A chicken house was damaged west
of Mena. A brief tornado hit at Lewisville, uprooting trees and causing damage to
several buildings. Fast-moving severe thunderstorms downed trees and large limbs
near England, Fordyce and Sheridan. A 55 MPH wind gust was clocked at Little Rock
AFB.
June...
Jun. 5 Early morning severe thunderstorms moved into northwest/north central
Arkansas from Missouri. Wind damage occurred at Lead Hill (Boone County) and Duff
(Searcy County). At Harrison, winds gusted to 60 MPH, which was the highest
recorded gust at the airport in 20 years. Later in the day, more severe storms
occurred in central Arkansas, with hail ranging from marble to golf ball size in
the Little Rock metro area, and some wind damage east and south of Little Rock.
Jun. 7 9 The remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal moved through southeast
and central Arkansas and exited north central Arkansas. The system produced two
to four-inch rains near and to the east of the center of circulation. Also,
record low June sea level pressures were set at Pine Bluff, North Little Rock,
and Harrison. Minor flooding continued on the Ouachita, White, Black and Cache
Rivers.
Jun. 23 Severe thunderstorms downed trees in portions of the Little Rock area
and near Pine Bluff. 50-55 MPH winds were clocked near Bryant and Stuttgart.
Quarter sized hail fell in Maumelle. Flash flooding occurred in North Little Rock
and Helena-West Helena.
Late June Over several days, a layer of dust from the Sahara Desert kept hazy
conditions over much of Arkansas, and made for rather colorful sunsets.
Jun. 29 Severe thunderstorms downed trees in Magnet Cove and Social Hill and
produced hail at Malvern. Thanks largely to cloud cover and rainfall, highs in
much of central Arkansas were only in the 70s.
Jun. 29 30 Heavy rain fell once again over portions of western Arkansas, with
amounts of two to nearly six inches common from around Mena to near Hot Springs.
There were multiple reports of flash flooding around the Hot Springs area.
July...
Jul. 1 Severe thunderstorms swept through eastern Arkansas from southern
Missouri. Trees were downed at Cave City, Salem, and at Jonesboro. A 72 MPH gust
was measured at Cash, with 52 MPH at the Newport Airport. There was a brief
landspout in an open field northeast of Marmaduke (Greene County).
Jul. 2 3 Spotty flash flooding occurred over portions of western and southern
Arkansas as heavy rain fell.
Jul. 9 Severe thunderstorms downed trees at Fayetteville, Alma, near Havana
(Yell Co.), and Furlow (Lonoke Co.). 59 MPH winds occurred at Highfill, with 56
MPH clocked at Little Rock AFB. One to two inches of rain fell in places in a
very short time, causing flash flooding in the Little Rock area.
Jul. 22 23 Early morning thunderstorms produced two to four inch rains in
portions of western Arkansas. At Mount Ida, 4.10 inches of rain fell between
400 AM and 700 AM.
August...
Aug. 1 31 Repeated rounds of showers and thunderstorms throughout the month
produced 10 to nearly 20 inches of rain in a large part of southwest and western
Arkansas. Areas near Dierks and Mena saw the heaviest amounts. In fact, 19.71
inches of rain fell at Dierks during the month, which set the all-time record
August monthly rainfall for the state of Arkansas, breaking the previous record
of 19.55 inches that fell at Hardy (Sharp County) in 1915.
Aug. 11 Four inches of rain fell at Vilonia in about an hour and a half. Some
flash flooding occurred at Jasper.
Aug. 12 Due to heavy rainfall, flash flooding occurred at Camden and Mena.
Aug. 14 Isolated severe storms blew down trees in Logan, Scott, Montgomery
and Garland Counties. Some flash flooding occurred at Hot Springs.
Aug. 27 29 - The remnants of Hurricane Laura moved through southern, central
and northeast Arkansas. The system produced tropical storm force winds in
portions of the state, as well as heavy rainfall. Record low August pressures
were observed at Harrison, Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Pine Bluff. Rainfall
amounts of four to six inches were common from southwest to northeast Arkansas,
with a few locations in the west and south picking up as much as 8-9 inches.
Eight tornadoes hit in northeast and eastern Arkansas, which marked the largest
tornado outbreak on record in the month of August for the state of Arkansas. One
storm was responsible for at least four tornadoes as it moved from southeast to
northwest through Poinsett, Craighead, and Randolph Counties. Winds of 40 to near
60 MPH were recorded near and east of the center of Lauras circulation. The
highest gust was 57 MPH recorded at El Dorado. The winds downed trees and power
lines, with some structural damage reported. There were at least 50,000 power
outages within the state.
September...
Sep. 1 In a 24-hour period, four to five inches of rain fell causing severe flash
flooding in Scott and Polk County. At Waldron, 7.00 inches of rain fell. Tornadoes
hit in Faulkner, Cleburne, and Conway Counties.
Sep. 2 With all the heavy rainfall over western Arkansas, rivers remained high.
The Petit Jean River at Danville crested at 26.62 feet, which was its highest
stage in five years, and the 10th highest stage on record there.
Sep. 22 24 - The remnants of Tropical Storm Beta passed south of Arkansas, but
brought heavy rainfall to much of the southern half of the state. Rainfall totals
were as high as six to seven inches in places.
October...
Oct. 9 11 - The remnants of Hurricane Delta moved across far southeast Arkansas,
with two to four-inch rainfall in places, and over seven inches at Eudora.
Oct. 23 Strong storms affected portions of Pulaski and Saline County, blowing
down a tree and producing pea to penny sized hail.
Oct. 28 30 Heavy rain fell in northwest Arkansas, with totals of five to around
eight inches. The Buffalo River at Saint Joe (Searcy County) rose almost 20 feet
on the 29th, but ended up just under the 27-foot flood stage. Minor flooding occurred
at Patterson, Black Rock and Augusta.
November...
Nov. 14 15 Severe thunderstorms produced wind damage in central and northeast
Arkansas. At Hoxie (Lawrence County), wind gusts turned over train cars. These
were empty grain cars. 15 were blown over on their sides, with three leaning over.
Power lines were blown down near Minturn. A weak tornado cut a two-mile path in
White County near Romance, destroying or damaging several mobile homes and uprooting
or snapping trees. Four people were injured.
Nov. 24 A storm blew down trees near Potter (Polk County), and near Plainview
(Yell County).
December...
Dec. 2 3 Light snow fell in the higher elevations of the Ozarks. Most areas
above 2,000 feet in Newton and Searcy Counties saw measurable snowfall, with half
an inch to 1.5 inches reported.
Dec. 13 14 Measurable snow fell over the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. Most
areas saw one to three inches. However, higher elevations picked up four to six
inches.
Dec. 15 Very light snow fell during the late evening hours from southwest into
central Arkansas, while most locations only saw flurries, there was a very small
area with up to one half inch accumulation across portions of Pulaski, Saline,
Garland, Montgomery, Clark, Polk, Sevier, Howard and Pike Counties.
Dec. 31 Into January 1, freezing rain fell in portions of northwest Arkansas,
with the highest ice accruals in Newton, Carroll, Madison, and Benton Counties.
Reported totals ranged from 1/4 to 1/2 inches of ice, especially in the higher
elevations.
$$
57
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