Arkansas Storm Team Blog: On this day in Arkansas…

Arkansas weather is infamous for changes and extremes. A look back on a few weather events that occurred on October 7, October 8, October 9, and October 10 is just a look into how different each day can be in the Natural State. On October 7, 2014, northeastern Arkansas experienced severe hail that damaged cotton crops.

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On October 8, 1993, a few tornadoes occurred in northwestern Arkansas. Both happened in Benton County. One tornado was an F2 near Avoca that was roughly the length of a football field at its widest and was on the ground for about a mile and a half. It damaged homes and a few chicken houses, causing half a million dollars in damage. Also on October 8 in 1993, an F0 tornado knocked over some trees northwest of Bentonville.

On October 9, 1990, days of rain led to flooding in parts of central Arkansas. Many communities received between 5 to 12 inches of rainfall in 3 days. As a result of all the rain, the Ouachita River recorded flooding.

On October 10, 1897, drought was gripping parts of northern Arkansas. Until October 10, communities like Dodd City and Keesees Ferry hadn’t seen rain since August 14. This 57-day dry stretch ended with recorded rain on October 10.