Flood — Randolph, Arkansas

2011-05-01 to 2011-05-31 · near Pocahontas, Randolph, Arkansas

Event narrative

Heavy rain from numerous rounds of severe storms brought the Black River at Pocahontas to record levels during late April which continued through the end of May. The crest surpassed the Flood of 1915. Two levees broke sending water further away from its normal banks. Much of the area around Pocahontas was flooded as a result. U.S. Highway 67 was flooded between Pocahontas and Walnut Ridge. The Current River was also extremely high in Eastern Randolph County. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded. Roads and bridges were flooded and/or damaged. Evacuations occurred in Pocahontas and East Pocahontas. A woman drowned when she drove her vehicle into flood waters on Highway 67 between Pocahontas and the Lawrence County line during the early morning hours of May 3rd.

Wider weather episode

Heavy rains continued to occur across the Mid-Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley during the beginning part of May. In addition, spring snow melt across the Dakotas and Minnesota continued to create higher than normal river levels on the Mississippi River. The combination of the snow melt and heavy rainfall produced record breaking flooding on the Mississippi River along with the Black, St. Francis, and L'Anguille Rivers in Eastern Arkansas during the month of May. Numerous roads were flooded and closed as a result. Homes and businesses were flooded in the area. Many farmers lost crops or were not able to plant due to flooded fields. Four deaths from the flooding occurred.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.2700, -90.9700)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 318729. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.