2011 wrapped up on a very quiet note with dry conditions and mild temperatures, but 2011 was anything but inactive. It began with a very snowy winter, with over 14 inches of snow recorded in Little Rock during January and February combined. That's over FOUR times the average snowfall for those 2 months. After a snowy winter came a wet spring with several rounds of severe weather. 67 tornadoes occurred in April and May across Arkansas, including two EF3 tornadoes and one EF4. 12 people were killed in Arkansas by the tornadoes, with other fatalities due to straight line winds and flooding. The total number of tornadoes for 2011 stands at 75, which is more than twice the annual average. This is not a record, however, as more tornadoes have been recorded as recently as 2008 when 81 tornadoes touched down. The all time record for most tornadoes in a calendar year in Arkansas stands at 107 set in 1999. The graph below shows the 3 years with the most number of tornadoes in Arkansas

Spring 2011 was also very wet, with serious flooding. Severe flash flooding occurred the morning of May 1st after some spots received over 8 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. Morgan in Pulaski County received 8.7" of rain in 24 hours. The White River hit record crests later in the month, forcing the closure of I-40.

When the rain stopped, that's when the heat began. The Summer heat reached its climax on August 3rd, when Little Rock broke its all time high temperature record hitting 114 degrees. The previous record was 112. Heat Index values soared to as high as 120.

Flooding rains returned once again in November with over 14.5" of rain in Little Rock for the month. This broke the record for the wettest November on record. December was not only wet, but also snowy. Little Rock had 1.6" of snow from late on the 6th to the morning of the 7th. The monthly rainfall totaled 7.74", barely more than half inch away from cracking into the top 10 wettest Decembers on record. 

Despite the very dry and hot summer, Little Rock still had well above normal rainfall for the year with a total  of 60.23", which is over 10" above average.

Quiet, but much cooler weather is on the way for the beginning of 2012.