Flood — Benton, Arkansas

2024-05-26 · near Bella Vista, Benton, Arkansas

Event narrative

A swimmer went into Little Sugar Creek in Bella Vista, and was drowned in the dangerously high and fast water flow. Search and rescue efforts recovered her body on the 28th, when the water flow became safe enough to deploy boats to aid in the search, which up until then had only involved a foot search, ATVs, and drones along the creek.

Wider weather episode

Four to five inches of rain fell across the Sugar Creek basin in northern Benton County on the 26th, most of it between the hours of midnight and 4:30 am. This heavy rainfall resulted in Little Sugar Creek flowing at dangerously high levels. Two people entered the creek for recreational purposes during the afternoon, and were drowned in the usually high and fast currents.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.4100, -94.1790)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1186763. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.