130
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$8.9M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Washington County, Arkansas: 130 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #102 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Washington County, Arkansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Washington County is the 2010s, when 77 of the county's 130 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Washington County archive, flash flood makes up 12.5% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #102 for this hazard and #2 within Arkansas, putting it in the 96.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for flash flood in Washington County with 28 recorded events, while Nov is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 2022 | FAYETTEVILLE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 29, 2017 | PRAIRIE GROVE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 29, 2017 | SPRINGDALE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 25, 2011 | MOFFIT | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 18, 2008 | JOHNSON | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2025 | PRAIRIE GROVE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 23, 2025 | (FYV)FAYETTEVILLE AR | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2025 | FARMINGTON | 0 | $0 |
| May 20, 2025 | FARMINGTON | 0 | $0 |
| May 20, 2025 | FAYETTEVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| May 20, 2025 | FAYETTEVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2025 | WEST FORK | 0 | $0 |
| May 5, 2022 | SPRINGDALE | 0 | $0 |
| May 5, 2022 | FAYETTEVILLE | 0 | $50K |
| May 5, 2022 | FAYETTEVILLE | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Washington County
- Hail 431
- Thunderstorm Wind 406
- Tornado 53
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rainfall resulted in several roads in this area becoming flooded. A vehicle driven into rapidly flowing flood waters across Highway 265 between Hubbard Road and Onda Mountain Road stalled. The driver exited the vehicle and was washed downstream, drowning in the flood waters. An 11 year old boy survived this incident.
Heavy rain caused flooding which resulted in roads being closed in the central portion of Washington County. A 48 year old man tried to drive through a flooded low water crossing near West Fork and his vehicle became stranded. He was washed downstream and was found 7 miles away in the White River.
Several rounds of thunderstorms pelted Washington county during the April 20s. For the 72 hour period ending a 7 am cdt Fayetteville and Prairie Grove has 7.41 and 7.33 inches of rain respectively. This heavy rain caused rounds of flash flooding from the evening of April 22nd to the daytime hours of April 24th. Numerous county roads were flooded and damaged during that time span. Damage to the roads was estimated to be in excess of $6 million. Roads were not the only things damaged. A train track near Greenland was washed out. Several 40 foot metal shipping containers were washed into the Illinois river near Hogeye. As many as 40 to 50 homes sustained damage. Many of those homes were in the Goshen and Elkins areas. On April 25th, the governor of Arkansas declared the county a disaster area.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Washington County, Arkansas?
130 flash flood events are recorded in Washington County between 1996 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Washington County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Washington County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Washington County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Washington County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/washington-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.