Flood in Desha County, Arkansas

Moderate flooding at the Pendleton stream gage on the Arkansas River occurred for over three days. The crest in April was higher than the March crest, primarily due to the high Mississippi River stages. There were damages to agricultural, county roads, and a few houses near the U.S. Highway 165 bridge in Pendleton. There were about six to eight homes flooded. Other property within the levee system, such as hunting and fishing camps, was also flooded. The lower Arkansas River floodplain contains some exclusive hunting camps and all were flooded by either the Arkansas or Mississippi River flooding the vast expanse of floodplain. The crest at Pendleton was the highest since May, 1990, and the fourth highest of record.

There was widespread heavy rain in northern and western Arkansas between the 9th and the 11th of the month. A weather system in Texas dragged a cold front toward the region which produced 24-hour rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches by the morning of the 10th and an additional 1 to 3 inches by the morning of the 11th. Flooding was a problem along the Arkansas and White Rivers and tributaries. Releases from Lake Norfork in Baxter County in excess of 86,000 cubic feet per second, combined with high flows from the White River tributaries, produced major flooding again on the White River from Calico Rock to all points downstream. Points on the lower Arkansas River crested higher than in March, due in part to the high stages on the Mississippi River.