Flash Flood — Saline, Arkansas

2009-07-20 · near Paron, Saline, Arkansas

Event narrative

Excessive rainfall caused flooding in the area around Lake Norrell. On Lake Norrell Road, the approach to the Caney Creek Bridge was washed out. The road was closed for five hours, until county road crews could remove the asphalt that had been torn out and replace it temporarily with gravel. Other roads suffering damage were Rushing, Sanders Ford, and Cold Springs. On Rushing Road, an SUV was trapped in flood waters. Two adults and three children were in the vehicle as water rose up the doors. The people exited through the windows but were swept through a culvert under the road. Two people nearby attempted to help but were also pulled through the culvert. One adult was taken to the hospital. The other six people suffered minor injuries, such as scrapes, cuts, and bruises.

Wider weather episode

High pressure to the west nudged toward the center of the country. A warm front in the southern Plains lifted slowly into Arkansas. Winds around the front became southerly, and moisture increased readily. Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms focused around the front on the 20th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.7576, -92.6798)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 182773. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.