National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorms and Flooding from the Southern Plains to the Great Lakes; Record Heat in the East

Widely scattered severe thunderstorms may produce damaging winds, hail, and flash flooding from the southern Plains into the lower Great Lakes. Elevated to locally critical fire weather conditions will persist across portions of the Southwest and Southern High Plains due to gusty winds and dry conditions. An early-season heatwave will challenge temperature records across the eastern U.S.. Read More >

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Year 2009

  • Fort Smith: The 2009 annual temperature was the same as the 2008 annual temperature.
  • River flooding occurred in 8 of the 12 months in 2009 and a total of 43 river floods occurred this year in eastern Oklahoma and northwest/west central Arkansas.
  • 2009 rainfall totals ranged from around 35 inches from eastern Kay/Osage/Pawnee Counties to around 70 inches in far southeast Oklahoma, with a large portion of eastern Oklahoma and northwest/west central Arkansas receiving between 40 and 60 inches.
  • According to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, for 2009, northeast OK was the 22nd wettest, east central OK was the 18th wettest, and southeast OK was the 8th wettest year on record (since 1921).
  • 13 tornadoes occurred across eastern Oklahoma and northwest/west central Arkansas in 2009.