WESTSIDE -- Residents of Decatur, Gentry, Gravette and surrounding communities enjoyed a warm sunny morning on March 26 as the clouds began to move in from the south. By early afternoon, a strong south wind began blowing, bringing with it an ominous sign of a change in the weather.
Early in the evening, rain began to fall in northwest Arkansas and, by mid-day March 27, four to six inches of rain had fallen, with some areas receiving even greater amounts.
At Crystal Lake in Decatur, lake levels rose so high that much of Crystal Lake Park and the parking area were under as much as a foot of water. Water poured over the spillway and created a thundering waterfall below the dam.
On Grant Street in Decatur, water at the low-water bridge over Columbia Hollow Creek was flowing so fast that city official were forced to shut down the bridge, stranding residents of the Grant Springs Apartments in their homes for several hours.
In Gentry, several fields along Arkansas Highway 12 east of Arkansas Highway 59 were under water and some roads and driveways were flooded.
On the corner of South Pleasant Valley Road, east of Springtown, a county road crew worked in the rain to clear debris from a clogged culvert which backed up water and caused it to flow over the highway. Workers removed several tree branches and a 12-foot log.
Rain returned Thursday morning, threatening to flood the area one again. Fortunately for area residents, the rain remained relatively light and caused no additional flooding.
General News on 04/04/2018