Flash Flood — Desha, Arkansas

2021-07-17 · near Rohwer, Desha, Arkansas

Event narrative

Highway 1 was under water and imipassible, and eventually closed.

Wider weather episode

Late on the 16th and into the 17th, downpours developed and remained over the southeast for several hours. By 800 am to 900 am CST on the 17th, the observer at Kelso (Desha County) reported 6.49 inches of precipitation, and Rohwer (Desha County) had 6.55 inches. Near the latter location, Highway 1 was inundated with water and became impassible.

It was the wettest July day at Rohwer (Desha County), and the fourth wettest day all-time locally. It was already the wettest climatological summer (June through August) with more than a month left to go in the season (27.86 inches of rain so far which crushed the previous record of 25.47 inches in 1989).

In the twenty four hour period ending at 600 am CST on the 18th, two to three inch amounts occurred at Alum Fork (Saline County), Cane Creek State Park (Lincoln County), and Malvern (Hot Spring County).

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.7700, -91.2800)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 964820. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.