Event narrative (NOAA)
Several rounds of thunderstorms during the April 20s caused periodic flash flooding over much of Madison County. For the 72 hour period ending 7 am cdt April 24, Huntsville and St. Paul received 6.57 and 6.35 inches of rain respectively. Numerous roads were flooded and as much as $100,000 damage was done to them. Some homes in the Witter area were also flooded. However; the most major event occured around 645 am cdt on the 24th. A pickup truck containing 4 occupants stalled in high water over a bridge crossing Hock Creek 5 miles southwest of Huntsville. A 3 year old girl and a 2 year old boy were swept away in the flood waters and died. The woman driving the truck and another child escaped.On April 25th, the governor of Arkansas declared Madison county a disaster area.
Other notable flash flood events in Arkansas
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.