Arkansas, 2002

Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, April 30, 2002

April 30, 2002 · NWS MEG · 12 events in 6 counties and zones

9 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$3.6 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 1:04 AM CST, 7 hours 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 1:04 AM CST, 7 hours 21 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
204 AM CDT TUE APR 30 2002

A BROAD RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHERN STATES FROM COAST TO COAST WILL
GRADUALLY SHIFT EASTWARD THIS FORECAST PERIOD. SHORT WAVES AND
IMPULSES WILL RIDE OVER THE RIDGE ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS TO THE
SOUTHEAST. AT THE SURFACE A STATIONARY FRONT DRAPED ACROSS THE
GULF COAST STATES WILL MOVE NORTHWARD AS A WARM FRONT AND BE NORTH
OF THE MID SOUTH BY TONIGHT. WITH SUFFICIENT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IN
PLACE AND WITH THE HELP OF THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES THE FRONT
WILL BE THE FOCUS OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY OVER THE MID SOUTH.
MEANWHILE A SURFACE LOW OVER WEST TEXAS THIS MORNING WILL MOVE
EASTWARD AND BE CENTERED OVER NORTHEAST ARKANSAS BY LATE WEDNESDAY.
THE RESULT WILL BE WARM HUMID WEATHER WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUING TONIGHT AND MAINLY NORTH PORTIONS OF THE MID SOUTH
WEDNESDAY.

.MEG...NONE.

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:26 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, St. Francis

When
April 30, 8:25 AM CST to 8:30 AM CST
Where
St. Francis County, Colt
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$750
Reported by
POST OFFICE
Coordinates
35.133, -90.800

Hail, St. Francis

When
April 30, 8:50 AM CST to 8:55 AM CST
Where
St. Francis County, 2 mi W of Shell Lake
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.133, -90.517

Hail, St. Francis

When
April 30, 9:05 AM CST to 9:10 AM CST
Where
St. Francis County, Hughes
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$750
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.083, -90.767

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When
April 30, 11:10 AM CST to 11:15 AM CST
Where
Lawrence County, Walnut Ridge
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.067, -90.950

Several trees were blown down.

Hail, Greene

When
April 30, 11:10 AM CST to 11:15 AM CST
Where
Greene County, 2 mi SW of Light
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.050, -90.783

Hail, Craighead

When
April 30, 11:15 AM CST to 11:30 AM CST
Where
Craighead County, Herman
Measured
1 in hail
Property damage
$550
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.717, -90.533

Hail, Lawrence

When
April 30, 11:25 AM CST to 11:30 AM CST
Where
Lawrence County, Clover Bend
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.983, -91.100

Hail, Craighead

When
April 30, 11:35 AM CST to 11:50 AM CST
Where
Craighead County, Cash
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.800, -90.933

The Bay city hall was windows broken by the hail. Both of the town's police cars were damaged. Some homes in Bay were also damaged.

Thunderstorm Wind, Craighead

When
April 30, 11:45 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where
Craighead County, Valley View
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.783, -90.733

Several homes had damage to their siding and roofs. Some windows were broken.

Thunderstorm Wind, Poinsett

When
April 30, 11:55 AM CST to 12:05 PM CST
Where
Poinsett County, Trumann
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.683, -90.517

The local high school and elementary school had windows broken. Fifteen police cars were severely damaged. Several trees were blown down.

Hail, Poinsett

When
April 30, 12:00 PM CST to 12:05 PM CST
Where
Poinsett County, Lepanto
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$3.0 million
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.617, -90.333

One hundred were damaged at a Ford dealership in Trumann. Over 2,000 cars in the area were damaged by the hail. Many homes were also damaged. The Trumann schools had at least 100 windows broken.

Hail, Mississippi

When
April 30, 12:05 PM CST to 12:10 PM CST
Where
Mississippi County, Dyess
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.583, -90.217

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, April 2002

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: 5293493, 5293494, 5293495, 5293496, 5293497, 5293498, 5293504, 5293499, 5293500, 5293501, 5293502, 5293503.