Extreme weather events across the state damage structures
April 4, 2025
By Ryan McGeeney and Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- Few crops yet planted
- Northeast Arkansas suffers state’s most severe effects
- More rain likely this weekend
(751 words)
(Newsrooms: Download photos of storm damage)
LITTLE ROCK — A massive storm system pushed rain, wind and tornadoes across Arkansas Wednesday, causing extensive structural damage in multiple locations in the northeastern corner of the state.
More than 30 tornadoes swept through the South and Midwest on Wednesday, killing at least seven people. As of April 4, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management reported that Arkansas had suffered no storm-related fatalities, but that at least four people had been injured. Of the more than 600 tornado warnings issued on Wednesday, 47 of them were in Arkansas.
Branon Thiesse, Craighead County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said his county was hit by at least two tornadoes, damaging or destroying multiple grain bins, farm shops, residences and other structures.
“It was pretty hairy for a while,” Thiesse said.
Jerri Dew, Lafayette County extension staff chair for the Division of Agriculture, said tornadoes in Lafayette and Columbia counties primarily damaged timber and other crop fields, with minor structural damage in the area.
Wednesday marked the first of a multi-day run of hazardous weather. Arkansas braced for another round of severe weather on Friday, with the Storm Prediction Center putting much of the state in level four of its five risk categories. The southeastern part of the state was in category three of five for Saturday.
Flooding
Much of Arkansas was under a Particularly Dangerous Situation flood watch until the morning of April 7 as warm, moist air continued to be pumped northward from the gulf.
Between April 2 and April 7, much of Arkansas is expected to receive as much as 10 inches of rain. Thiesse said flooding was likely in his area, once rivers swell over their banks.
“Flooding is going to be our next major thing unless another tornado spins up first,” Thiesse said.
By Friday, many streams in northern and eastern Arkansas were forecast to moderate to major flooding, including the White River at Newport and Batesville and the Black River at Corning.
“A lot of people are already trying to keep the water off their fields, but they can't keep up,” said Jenna Martin, Cross County extension staff chair for the Division of Agriculture.
The storm system comes just as some Arkansas growers are early planting crops including corn, rice and soybeans. Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said the effect of the massive rains on Arkansas’ corn crop, about 25 percent of which had already been planted, remains to be seen.
“Corn planting was going very well this spring, and we were well ahead of our normal planting pace,” Kelley said. “Some areas did need rain as some fields were getting too dry to plant. A 1-inch rain would have been wonderful, but of course, we are not getting that.
“I am not sure if the forecasted rainfall totals will really be as high as we see on the news, but planting over the next week at least will stop,” he said. “With corn at about 25 percent planted, a lot has emerged or will be emerging soon. It is too early to really tell how the impact of the rain on recently planted or emerging corn, but saturated soils after planting can lead to poor stands.”
Kelley said the good news is that if growers do have to replant corn, Arkansas is still well within the recommended planting window for achieving maximum yield. Yields typically begin to decline for corn planted in late April or early May, he said.
Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said additional rainfall could begin to erode or even wash out rice levees in the coming days.
“We’ll soon have issues with washed or deteriorated levees that have to be repaired, and if water doesn’t come off quickly, we’ll lose some stands as well on fields where rice may have been about to emerge,” Hardke said.
“By the end of next week, higher areas will likely be dry enough to resume planting,” he said. “Now that we’re getting on into April, growers who were working ground and waiting to plant will now be ‘full send.’ Every available drill will be running at the first opportunity. We’re still on time for good yields, but we’ll need a good run to stay on track.”
Hardke said that lower lying areas will likely take additional time to dry out enough for planting and that any crops already planted in those areas may be a total loss.
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 three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Ryan McGeeney
rmcgeeney@uada.edu
@Ryan_McG44
501-671-2120