Arkansas, 1998

Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, May 9, 1998

May 9, 1998 · NWS MEG · 11 events in 6 counties and zones

5 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$138,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Randolph

When
May 9, 5:11 PM CST to 5:15 PM CST
Where
Randolph County, Ravenden Spgs
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Coordinates
36.320, -91.220

Hail, Lawrence

When
May 9, 5:23 PM CST to 5:30 PM CST
Where
Lawrence County, Walnut Ridge
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Coordinates
36.070, -90.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Randolph

When
May 9, 5:25 PM CST to 5:35 PM CST
Where
Randolph County, Noland to Shannon
Property damage
$40,000
Coordinates
36.200, -91.070

An unoccupied trailer was turned over in Noland. A trailer home was destroyed in Shannon. Several other mobile homes and several houses were damaged. Several trees were knocked down.

Tornado, Lawrence

When
May 9, 5:35 PM CST to 5:40 PM CST
Where
Lawrence County, Walnut Ridge to 2 mi E of Walnut Ridge
Rating
F0
Path length
6 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
36.050, -90.920

A tornado touched down near Walnut Ridge and moved northeast. One mobile home was destroyed and several others were damaged. Several houses had roof damage.

Tornado, Greene

When
May 9, 5:40 PM CST to 5:50 PM CST
Where
Greene County, Light to 4 mi NE of Light
Rating
F1
Path length
8 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
36.030, -90.800

A tornado crossed in from Lawrence county and moved northeast toward the town of Light. Several houses were damaged or destroyed. A few trees and power lines were knocked down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When
May 9, 5:55 PM CST to 6:10 PM CST
Where
Greene County, Paragould
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
36.050, -90.480

A cellular phone tower as well as a few trees and power lines were blown down just west of Paragould.

Thunderstorm Wind, Craighead

When
May 9, 6:35 PM CST to 6:40 PM CST
Where
Craighead County, 1 mi S of Jonesboro
Property damage
$1,000
Coordinates
35.820, -90.700

Several trees were knocked down.

Hail, Poinsett

When
May 9, 6:57 PM CST to 7:12 PM CST
Where
Poinsett County, Harrisburg to 5 mi N of Trumann
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
35.570, -90.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Craighead

When
May 9, 7:12 PM CST to 7:20 PM CST
Where
Craighead County, 4 mi S of Jonesboro
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.780, -90.700

A trailer was overturned. A tree fell on a house.

Hail, Poinsett

When
May 9, 7:25 PM CST to 7:30 PM CST
Where
Poinsett County, 3 mi W of Lepanto
Measured
0.88 in hail
Property damage
$50
Coordinates
35.620, -90.380

Hail, Mississippi

When
May 9, 9:15 PM CST to 9:20 PM CST
Where
Mississippi County, Blytheville
Measured
0.88 in hail
Property damage
$50
Coordinates
35.920, -89.920

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arkansas, 1998Warnings in Arkansas, May 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5648386, 5648392, 5648387, 5648481, 5648482, 5648388, 5648483, 5648389, 5648484, 5648390, 5648391.