Flood in Monroe County, Arkansas

Parts of Arkansas Highways 1, 17, 86, 146, and 302 were closed due to flooding. Some parts of the Sheffield Nelson Dagmar Wildlife Management Area were closed due to flooding. Hundreds of people were evacuated south of Clarendon. In the southern part of the county, communities that were flooded included East Lake, Maddox Bay, Green Lake, and Indian Bay. Flooding also occurred at Deep Elm and Lawrenceville. Altogether, about 750 residences in Monroe County were flooded. Flooding in Monroe County continued into June.

Areal flooding was widespread in Arkansas, beginning early in May. The flooding was caused by large amounts of rain on April 30th, and May 1st and 2nd; high water flowing down from Missouri; and backwater flooding from rivers and large creeks and bayous. The Mississippi River was also experiencing unusually high stages, causing the White and Arkansas Rivers to back up near the rivers' confluence. Arkansas Farm Bureau estimated that more than 1 million acres of farmland were under water in the state. The flooding lasted well into May in many counties, and even into June in some of the counties in eastern Arkansas.