Beryl brings tornadoes, rain to Arkansas but leaves most row crops unscathed
July 12, 2024
By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- Record rainfall recorded in several areas throughout Arkansas
- Most row crops appear undamaged
- Wheat harvest concluded ahead of storm
(762 words)
(Newsrooms: Download photos and video of tornadoes in Lafayette County; Photo of Jason Kelley)
LITTLE ROCK —Beryl, which existed as everything from an Atlantic hurricane to a tropical depression, brought high winds and rainfall to large swaths of Arkansas this week, but left the vast majority of the state’s row crops intact.
Hurricane Beryl caused significant damage in the Caribbean as a Category 5 hurricane during the first several days of July. It continued west and north, making landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday. As the storm system moved inland, it was downgraded to a tropical depression.
The National Weather Service in Little Rock reported record rainfall amounts, including:
Batesville: 4.51″ beating the previous record of 2.42″ set in 2021
Harrison: 2.33″ beating the previous record of 1.72″ set in 1905
North Little Rock: 2.87″ beating the previous record of 0.90″ set in 2014
Little Rock: 2.56″ beating the previous record of 1.74″ set in 1956
Other areas of the state saw even higher amounts of rainfall, including 8 inches in Grant County, 5.36 inches in Heber Springs, 6.6 inches in Conway County and 7.31 inches in Ferndale.
The weather system also spawned numerous tornadoes in areas of Arkansas and northern Louisiana, along with large numbers of attendant warnings (NWS Shreveport issued 67 tornado warnings, averaging about 8 per hour).
As of July 12, the service has confirmed five tornadoes in Arkansas on July 8-9, including:
- Stephens in Ouachita County, Arkansas, EF1, 2.33-mile path, 50 yards wide, ended in Nevada County
- Pine Grove tornado, Dallas County, EF1, 3.23-mile path, 75 yards wide
- Double Wells tornado, Jefferson County, EF1, 2.5-mile path, 75 yards wide. Went from Rison to White Hall
- Pine Bluff Arsenal tornado, Jefferson County, EF0, 5.79-mile path, 75 yards wide. Went from White Hall to Sherrill
- Western White County, EF1
While the NWS hasn’t completed its tornado investigations, one twister was captured on camera near Gin City, in Lafayette County.
Lafayette County extension staff chair Jerri Dew said she was told by local utility officials that the twister tore up five light poles, but nothing else but croplands.
“We were just blessed,” Dew said. “We had two tornadoes come up just to the west of us. I don’t know what kind of damage there was.”
Good news in row crops
While many areas of the state suffered damage to structures, reports of row crop damage throughout the state appear minor.
Matthew Davis, Jackson County extension staff chair, said that while the White River rose significantly in his area as compared to previous levels, damage appeared to be limited to “blown levees and slow drainage on some fields.”
“Overall, no wind damage is to be noted,” Davis said. “We are seeing farmers just trying to manage water on field and get it off as the waterways will allow. A few fields in the Departee Creek watershed were underwater after the rain, but we expect the water to continue to drain into the later part of the week.”
Kevin Lawson, Faulkner County extension agriculture agent, said crop damage appeared to be minimal in his area as well.
“The Arkansas River is still really low so everything flowed out pretty fast,” Lawson said. “There are a few beans in low-lying areas that had some water stand on them, but all in all I don't think much damage occurred from this one.”
Wheat harvest beats the clock
Arkansas wheat growers were also fortunate enough to complete most of their harvest before Beryl came ashore. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Monday that as of July 7, 99 percent of the state’s 135,000 acres of winter wheat had been harvested.
Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said 2024 was a “fairly decent growing season” for winter wheat in Arkansas. The crop saw a dramatic drop in acreage from the previous year, when growers planted 230,000 acres of wheat.
“The biggest difference in growers’ experience was from north to south,” Kelley said. “Growers in the southern half of the state saw a lot of rainfall from March until May — the northern half saw a lot less of that, and wheat tends to prefer dryer conditions.”
As a result, he said, growers in the northeastern portion of the state have been seeing better yields per acre.
Overall, the wheat harvest for most growers ran seven to 10 days ahead of schedule, with significant gains in the final weeks of the growing season.
“We had some foliar disease pressure — septoria — which is fairly common in wheat, and is usually worse in wet weather,” Kelley said. “In general, disease pressure was higher than in past years.”
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact:
Ryan McGeeney
rmcgeeney@uada.edu
@Ryan_McG44
501-671-2120