PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
600 AM CST FRI MAR 6 2015

...TODAYS TOPIC FOR SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IS
FLASH FLOODS...

ARKANSAS GOVERNOR ASA HUTCHINSON HAS PROCLAIMED THE WEEK OF
MARCH 1ST THROUGH 7TH AS SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK
IN ARKANSAS.

A DIFFERENT TOPIC WILL BE DISCUSSED EACH DAY...AND TODAYS TOPIC
IS FLASH FLOODS.

FLASH FLOODING IS USUALLY CAUSED BY VERY SLOW-MOVING
THUNDERSTORMS...OR THUNDERSTORMS THAT REPEATEDLY MOVE OVER
THE SAME AREAS.

URBAN SETTINGS ARE ESPECIALLY PRONE TO FLASH FLOODS DUE TO LARGE
AMOUNTS OF CONCRETE AND ASPHALT SURFACES THAT DO NOT ALLOW
WATER TO PENETRATE INTO THE SOIL.

PLACES SURROUNDED BY STEEP...HILLY TERRAIN ARE ALSO SUSCEPTIBLE
TO FLASH FLOODS DUE TO RAPID RUNOFF /WATER MOVING DOWNHILL AT
ELEVATED SPEEDS/ INTO STREAMS AND CREEKS.

IN THE LAST 30 YEARS...FLASH FLOODING WAS THE DEADLIEST
THUNDERSTORM HAZARD...AND CAUSED MORE FATALITIES THAN
TORNADOES AND LIGHTNING. THERE ARE AN AVERAGE OF 90 FATALITIES
ANNUALLY DUE TO FLASH FLOODS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

ROUGHLY HALF OF FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR WHEN PEOPLE TRY TO
DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED AREAS. MOVING WATER TWO FEET DEEP IS
SUFFICIENT TO CARRY AWAY MOST VEHICLES...EVEN PICKUP TRUCKS
AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES.

IN ARKANSAS...MOST OF THE MAJOR FLASH FLOODS OCCUR AT NIGHT
WHEN THE DANGER IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO SEE. IN 2010...
THE LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER ROSE MORE THAN 20 FEET DURING THE
PREDAWN HOURS OF JUNE 11TH. THIS WAS AFTER MORE THAN HALF A
FOOT OF RAIN. CAMPERS AT THE ALBERT PIKE RECREATION AREA
/MONTGOMERY COUNTY/ WERE AWAKENED TO RAGING WATER...AND
20 PEOPLE DROWNED.

...FLASH FLOOD SAFETY RULES...

YOU SHOULD KNOW WHICH PLACES IN YOUR AREA ARE PRONE TO
FLOODING...AND AVOID THESE PLACES IN TIMES OF RISING WATER.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS FLOWING STREAMS WHILE DRIVING OR
ON FOOT.

IF FLOOD WATERS ARE BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR DESTINATION...THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WANTS YOU TO REMEMBER A SIMPLE SLOGAN:
TURN AROUND - DONT DROWN.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES ARE VERY POPULAR IN ARKANSAS. IF YOU ENJOY
CAMPING OR SIMILAR RECREATION...BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL IF YOU
SPEND THE NIGHT NEAR STREAMS. A THUNDERSTORM MILES UPSTREAM
FROM YOUR LOCATION COULD PRODUCE ENOUGH RAIN TO CAUSE FLOODING...
EVEN IF IT IS NOT RAINING MUCH WHERE YOU ARE.

NEVER ALLOW CHILDREN TO PLAY AROUND HIGH WATER...STORM DRAINS...
AND CULVERTS.

&&

FOR A LIST OF ALL THE TORNADOES AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
EVENTS THAT OCCURRED IN 2014...

HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/IMAGES/LZK/PDF/STORMSOF2014.PDF

$$


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