Arkansas, 2000

Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, May 9, 2000

May 9, 2000 · NWS MEG · 8 events in 5 counties and zones

3 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 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
$307,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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 Memphis radar (KNQA), 126 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:35 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Lawrence

When
May 9, 2:35 PM CST to 2:40 PM CST
Where
Lawrence County, Walnut Ridge
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
36.067, -90.950

A tornado briefly touched down knocking over a few trees.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When
May 9, 2:35 PM CST to 2:40 PM CST
Where
Lawrence County, Walnut Ridge
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Property damage
$250,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
36.067, -90.950

Five airplanes were damaged at the Walnut Ridge airport along with a hangar door and several skylights. A wind gust of over 60 mph was reported at the airport.

Tornado, Greene

When
May 9, 3:05 PM CST to 3:10 PM CST
Where
Greene County, Evening Star
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.183, -90.700

A tornado briefly touched down blowing down some trees.

Hail, Craighead

When
May 9, 3:15 PM CST to 3:20 PM CST
Where
Craighead County, Brookland
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.900, -90.583

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When
May 9, 3:16 PM CST to 3:20 PM CST
Where
Clay County, 5 mi W of Rector
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
36.267, -90.383

Several power lines were blown down.

Tornado, Craighead

When
May 9, 3:40 PM CST to 3:45 PM CST
Where
Craighead County, Black Oak
Rating
F0
Path length
4 mi
Path width
15 yd
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
35.833, -90.367

The tornado started near Black Oak and moved northeast. Several trees and power lines were blown down near Monette.

Hail, Mississippi

When
May 9, 4:13 PM CST to 4:20 PM CST
Where
Mississippi County, Blytheville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.917, -89.917

Thunderstorm Wind, Mississippi

When
May 9, 4:15 PM CST to 4:30 PM CST
Where
Mississippi County, Blytheville
Property damage
$40,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.917, -89.917

Several cotton wagons are blown over. A few power poles were snapped. A privacy fence was also blown down. A carport had a wall blown out. Numerous trees were knocked down. One tree fell on a garage.

What these are

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.
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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arkansas, 2000Warnings in Arkansas, May 2000

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: 5144470, 5146311, 5144471, 5144472, 5144473, 5144474, 5144475, 5144476.