May ends cooler and rainier than last couple years

Many in the area have been saying it seemed that this past month of May was cooler and wetter than normal and it turns out the data shows they were correct.

May ended as the 6th wettest on record for Mountain Home with a total of 10.75 inches of rain recorded at KTLO the official reporting station for the National Weather Service Mountain Home. This follows a record breaking April that saw floods and heavy rains.

The rain total for 2025 has already reached 34.24 inches and no where is the amount of precipitation area wide more evident than in local lakes. Bull Shoals and Norfork are both at very high levels with Norfork exceeding the flood pool level of 579 feet. The high water levels prompted the Corp of Engineers to open spill gates and increase generation in an effort to bring down water levels.

The month also so many strong storms area wide. On the 19th a strong line of storms moved into Arkansas from Oklahoma fueling tornadoes in the North Western portion of the state and bringing heavy rain, strong winds and lightning strikes to the Twin Lakes area.

The National Weather service confirmed four tornadoes in Washington County around the Prairie Grove area. Homes and building where reported as destroyed near Drake Field Airport in Fayetteville. Areas around Elkins, Greenland and Farmington also had reports of damage from tornadic activity.

Multiple severe thunderstorm warnings extended into North Central Arkansas as the storms moved east at around 60 miles per hour. For a short window a Tornado warning was issued for Boone County and southern portions of Marion County. Heavy lightning and rain where the primary threats as the line of storms moved into Marion and Baxter County.

May ended with double the average amount of rain expected at 5.4 inches. The month was also cooler than previous years with an average monthly high of 74 degrees. In May 2024 the average high was 80 degrees and in 2023 it was 77 degrees.

The warmest temperature recorded was May 17 which saw a high of 86 degrees and the coolest temperature was on the 4th which saw a low of 48 degrees. May 20 recorded the most rain in one day for the month with 2.5″ inches in the rain gauge.

NEWS 05-20-25 Monday storms fuel Tornadoes in NW AR; lighting and heavy rain in Twin Lakes

Storm damage in the Greenland area Monday evening (credit KNWA TV)

A strong line of storms moved into Arkansas from Oklahoma Monday evening fueling tornadoes in the North Western portion of the the state and bring heavy rain, strong winds and lightning strikes to the Twin Lakes area.

The National Weather service confirmed four tornadoes in Washington County with the first at around 7:20 Monday evening around the Prairie Grove area. Homes and building where reported as destroyed near Drake Field Airport in Fayetteville. Areas around Elkins, Greenland and Farmington also had reports of damage from tornadic activity.

Multiple severe thunderstorm warnings extended into North Central Arkansas as the storms moved east at around 60 miles per hour. For a short window a Tornado warning was issued for Boone County and southern portions of Marion County. The line of storms lost intensity and no reports of a tornado within that area have been reported.

Heavy lightning and rain where the primary threats as the line of storms moved into Marion and Baxter County. 2.5 inches of rain fell at KILO, Classic Hits and the Boot the official reporting station in Mountain Home for the National Weather Service. Lightning strikes where observed very close to the station near the 10 o’clock hour. Local roadways and ditches where inundated with heavy rain during the event but as of Tuesday morning most of the heaviest water had drained away.

No major power outages where reported in North Central Arkansas although portions of Central Missouri and North West Arkansas had significant power outages. In Mountain Home the traffic light at Highways 62B and 5 North in Mountain Home was in standby mode flashing all red although no confirmation had been received at the time of this reporting to the cause of the outage. Motorists should use caution traveling through the intersection.

NEWS   SATURDAY   5-3-25   APRIL 2025 WEATHER RECAP   MS

Last month ended up in the top five among wettest Aprils and top 10 for wettest overall months. That was due in part to flooding early in the month resulting in the fifth wettest day on record, damage to several roads, a railroad bridge being washed out and two fatalities due to drowning.

With more than 2 1/4 of precipitation already recorded the previous two days at KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot, the official reporting station for the National Weather Service in Mountain Home, the rains became even heavier beginning on the afternoon of April 4. The next morning at 7, a total of 5.61 inches of precipitation was measured for the previous 24-hour period, breaking the previous record for April 5 of 2.66 inches in 1936 and ending up with the fifth highest rainfall measurement recorded for one full day. The wettest day on record was Sept. 4, 1985, when 8.95 inches of rain were measured.

Nearly 2 1/4 additional inches of rain were recorded the next day. The rain forced several roads to be closed throughout north central Arkansas and southern Missouri for multiple days, and some remain shut down until repairs can be made. In addition, the water washed out and destroyed a railroad bridge in Mammoth Spring.

In West Plains, two vehicles were swept away in two separate incidents nearly 20 minutes apart on the evening of April 4. Both male drivers attempted to exit their vehicles, and they were later pronounced dead after their bodies were recovered from the water.

Last month ended up as the third wettest April on record and the seventh wettest month overall with a total of 14.73 inches. The wettest month in recorded history was April 1927 at 16.87 inches.

Last month’s rainfall was also 9.13 inches above April’s average of 5.6. The total precipitation for this year’s first four months is 23.49 inches, 6.3 above the period’s average of 17.19 inches.

The warmest temperature recorded last month was 87 degrees on April 14, and the coolest was 35 on April 8 and 9. The average high for April was 69.9 degrees, and the average low was 46.9.

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