Damaging Winds in Arkansas, March 9, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in Arkansas, March 9, 2002
Start: 2002-03-09T02:00
End: 2002-03-09T03:20
Location: Arkansas

March 9, 2002 · NWS TSA · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

6 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: $1,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 8, 10:00 PM CST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 10:00 PM CST, 4 hours before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1000 PM CST FRI MAR 8 2002

STRONG CONVECTION CONTINUES OVER FAR EASTERN SECTIONS OF FA.  BELIEVE
THIS AREA WILL SHIFT EAST INTO CENTRAL ARK OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO.
MAIN CONVECTIVE LINE WITH FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL MOVE INTO OSAGE AND
PAWNEE COUNTIES WITHIN THE HOUR.  LINE HAS WEAKENED SOMEWHAT...BUT
SEVERE THREAT SHOULD CONTINUE OVERNIGHT WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN
THREAT...PRIMARILY NORTH OF I-40.  ALSO INCLUDED REMAINDER OF FA IN
WIND ADVISORY OVERNIGHT AS WINDS WILL INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY BEHIND
THE FRONT. ALREADY SENT UPDATED ZONES...MAINLY FOR WATCH/ADVISORY
CONFIGURATIONS.

FCSTID = 12

.TSA...
AR...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR
ZONES ARZ001>002...ARZ010>011.
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM FOR ZONES ARZ001-ARZ002-
ARZ010-ARZ011-ARZ019-ARZ020-ARZ029.

OK...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR ZONES
OKZ054>071.
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM FOR ZONES
OKZ054>056-OKCZ059-OKZ060-OKZ061-OKZ064.
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM FOR ZONES OKZ069-OKZ072-
OKZ074>OKZ076-OKZ049-OKZ053.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 8, 11:59 PM CST, 2 hours 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1159 PM CST FRI MAR 08 2002

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0955 PM    CECIL                     AR    WIND DAMAGE
03/08/02   FRANKLIN                        SPOTTERS REPORTED
                                           SEVERAL TREES DOWN

Local storm report, Mar 9, 12:38 AM CST, 1 hour 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1238 AM CST SAT MAR 09 2002

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1236 AM    PRYOR                     OK    WIND DAMAGE
03/09/02   MAYES                           ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOME
                                           IN THE SOUTH SIDE OF
                                           PRYOR

Local storm report, Mar 9, 12:45 AM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1245 AM CST SAT MAR 09 2002

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0955 PM    CECIL                     AR    WIND DAMAGE
03/08/02   FRANKLIN                        SPOTTERS REPORTED
                                           SEVERAL TREES DOWN

1205 AM    WELCH                     OK    64 MPH TSTM GUST
03/09/02   CRAIG                           MEASURED MESONET WIND
                                           GUST

1236 AM    PRYOR                     OK    WIND DAMAGE
03/09/02   MAYES                           ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOME
                                           IN THE SOUTH SIDE OF
                                           PRYOR

Special weather statement, Mar 9, 12:47 AM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes before

OKZ054>056-059>061-064-090700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1247 AM CST SAT MAR 9 2002

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 12 HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR
PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA...

...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT...

THE LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS PUSHED EAST OF THE
WATCH AREA. THEREFORE...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN
CANCELED FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA:
OSAGE...PAWNEE...WASHINGTON...NOWATA...ROGERS...TULSA AND
CREEK.

THE LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH
RAPIDLY EAST ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS DURING
THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION
FOR THE LATEST ON THIS DEVELOPING SEVERE WEATHER EVENT. ADDITIONAL
WEATHER INFORMATION...INCLUDING RELATED GRAPHICS CAN BE FOUND AT:
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA.

Local storm report, Mar 9, 1:28 AM CST, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
128 AM CST SAT MAR 09 2002

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1250 AM    2 NW EUCHA                OK    WIND DAMAGE
03/09/02   DELAWARE                        EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                           REPORTED TREES DOWN

Local storm report, Mar 9, 1:34 AM CST, 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
134 AM CST SAT MAR 09 2002

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1250 AM    2 NW EUCHA                OK    WIND DAMAGE
03/09/02   DELAWARE                        EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                           REPORTED TREES DOWN

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Benton

When: March 9, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Benton County, Bella Vista
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.433, -94.233

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew a tree down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: March 9, 2:20 AM CST
Where: Madison County, Aurora
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: POST OFFICE
Coordinates: 36.000, -93.700

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs.

Thunderstorm Wind, Carroll

When: March 9, 2:30 AM CST
Where: Carroll County, Green Forest
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.317, -93.450

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew a tree down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When: March 9, 2:50 AM CST
Where: Crawford County, Figure Five
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 35.517, -94.367

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew a tree down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sebastian

When: March 9, 2:59 AM CST
Where: Sebastian County, Barling
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 35.333, -94.300

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew several signs down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When: March 9, 3:20 AM CST
Where: Franklin County, 2 mi W of Ozark
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.500, -93.867

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs.

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.

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: 5286565, 5286566, 5286567, 5286568, 5286569, 5286667.