Heavy rainfall early Thursday led to flash flooding in parts of central Arkansas, along with school closings and the temporary closure of Interstate 30 just outside of Little Rock.
The National Weather Service in North Little Rock said 4.18 inches of rain had fallen by 7 a.m. at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field, in Little Rock, breaking a daily rainfall record for April 18 set in 1911 when 1.74 inches of rain fell. Total rainfall had risen to 4.53 inches by 4 p.m. Thursday.
That amount came as a surprise given that weather service predictions called for 1-2 inches in parts of central Arkansas.
"If you look at some of the areas around central Arkansas, you can see it was real hit or miss," said meteorologist Dennis Cavanaugh of the National Weather Service. "For example, Russellville got about an inch of rain and El Dorado got 1.2 inches. Thunderstorms just seemed to keep developing over and over in central Arkansas causing the flooding we witnessed."
Forecasters warned that severe weather remained a possibility overnight Thursday after the same storm system produced tornadoes and hail in the lower Midwest earlier this week.
Dozens of schools dismissed early Thursday as a precaution in Mississippi and Alabama, according to The Associated Press. Forecasters also warned that high winds nearly as strong as a hurricane were possible.
The system produced tornadoes and hail Wednesday in north Texas, the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas, AP reported. A tornado watch reached from coastal Louisiana into central Mississippi on Thursday, and flood warnings reached as far north as central Indiana.
In central Arkansas, flash flooding snarled traffic during morning rush hour and led to the shutdown of Interstate 30. The Arkansas Department of Transportation closed both sides of the interstate near Vimy Ridge Road west of Interstate 430 around 9 a.m. Officials reopened the lanes less than two hours later.
Department spokesman Danny Straessle said rising water from a nearby creek spilled onto the interstate and its service roads, leading to traffic delays.
The state Department of Transportation spent nearly $5 million three years ago on flood control in the area. The project included building a 3-foot-high, 1,900-foot-long berm; re-channeling a 100-foot section of Crooked Creek; creating a nearly 19-acre flood plain; and installing a pipe floodgate. The agency also relocated four businesses as part of the project.
"We received 4½ inches of rain in a six-hour time period, which is the most we have received on April 18 in over a 100 years," Straessle said. "So you can easily say this was a rare, 100-year flood event."
Straessle said the water receded quickly and that Thursday's deluge was the first large-scale flooding that has occurred since the project was completed.
"This amount of rain was unprecedented," Straessle said.
Keeping Interstate 30 open is a priority, Straessle said
"We have 92,000 vehicles that drive through that area a day," he said. "It's the main artery from Dallas to Memphis. It is vital to our state and our region's economy to keep that road open. Fortunately, it was only interrupted briefly."
Straessle said engineers and hydrologists went to the flooded area and assessed water levels.
"They have looked at the situation and conducted a survey, and they will be doing an aerial survey, as well," Straessle said. "They will get together to see if there is any additional tweaks that need to be made."
Little Rock Fire Department Capt. Jacob Lear-Sadowsky said there was widespread flooding throughout the city. Firefighters responded to at least eight water rescues after drivers became trapped by high water, he said, but no injuries were reported during the rescues.
There were a few vehicle crashes in which people were injured, Lear-Sadowsky said. Flooding led to the cancellation of classes in the Pulaski County Special School District, Bryant School District, Benton School District, Bauxite Public Schools and the Sheridan School District.
The Little Rock School District remained open but experienced some bus transportation delays, school officials said.
Roads in Lee, Clark and Grant counties also were closed at some points Thursday morning because of high water.
Portions of the Ouachita, White, Cache and Black rivers are expected to remain in flood stage for several days, according to the National Weather Service, with the Ouachita River expected to see the most prolonged flooding.
Entergy Arkansas' power-failure maps showed more than 2,140 people statewide without power early Thursday afternoon, with about 479 without power in central Arkansas. Those numbers had dropped to 898 statewide and 384 in central Arkansas by 5:30 p.m.
Cavanaugh said the storm system is expected to exit Arkansas today, with clear skies expected for the weekend.
Information for this article was contributed to Youssef Rddad of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
CORRECTION: Dennis Cavanaugh is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled his name.
State Desk on 04/19/2019