Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, March 9, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, March 9, 2002
Start: 2002-03-09T06:00
End: 2002-03-09T07:05
Location: Arkansas

March 9, 2002 · NWS MEG · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $30,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 Mar 9, 4:00 AM CST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 4:00 AM CST, 2 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
400 AM CST SAT MAR 9 2002

TWO LINES OF THUNDERSTORMS NOW MOVING EAST ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH.
ANOTHER LINE OF STRONG STORMS FROM HARRISON AR TO TEXARKANA IS ALSO
MOVING THIS WAY. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH WIND
DAMAGE. RATHER WINDY AT THIS TIME...WITH SOME GUSTS TO 40 MPH.
STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL RAPIDLY CHANGE TO WEST/NORTHWEST
STARTING EARLY THIS M0RNING IN NE AR AND BY EVENING IN SE COUNTIES.
SHARPLY COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL FOLLOW FRONTAL PASSAGE.
TEMPERATURES WILL GET BACK INTO THE 20S AGAIN TONIGHT MANY PLACES.

GOOD WARM UP COMING SUNDAY AND AGAIN MONDAY.

.MEG...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NE AR.

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When: March 9, 6:00 AM CST to 6:05 AM CST
Where: Lawrence County, 3 mi SE of Minturn
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 35.933, -91.000

A barn was demolished. Three homes were damaged.

Thunderstorm Wind, Poinsett

When: March 9, 6:30 AM CST to 6:35 AM CST
Where: Poinsett County, Harrisburg
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.567, -90.717

A few trees were blown down.

Hail, Cross

When: March 9, 7:00 AM CST to 7:05 AM CST
Where: Cross County, Wynne
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $10
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.233, -90.800

Hail, St. Francis

When: March 9, 7:00 AM CST to 7:05 AM CST
Where: St. Francis County, Colt
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $10
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.133, -90.800

What these are

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

Every storm in Arkansas in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, March 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: 5286395, 5286392, 5286393, 5286394.