Flash Flood and Hail in Arkansas, May 13, 2003

Name: Flash Flood and Hail in Arkansas, May 13, 2003
Start: 2003-05-13T11:25
End: 2003-05-13T16:30
Location: Arkansas

May 13, 2003 · NWS TSA · 13 events in 5 counties and zones

9 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 May 13, 9:20 AM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 9:20 AM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
1020 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 2003

SAT PICS AND METARS INDICATE A SOLID AREA OF LOW CLOUDS FROM CENTRAL
TEXAS INTO EASTERN KANSAS.  RADAR SHOWS THAT THE STORMS OVER
NORTHEAST TEXAS HAVE DIMINISHED SOMEWHAT...BUT THE STORMS IN
SOUTHEAST KANSAS ARE STILL PRETTY STRONG. IN BETWEEN WIDELY
SCATTERED SHOWERS HAVE FORMED OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

GOING FORECAST FOR THE AREA IS BASICALLY MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40-50
PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HIGHS IN THE MID TO
UPPER 70S.  AT THIS TIME BELIEVE THAT IT IS GOOD SO DO NOT PLAN ON
UPDATING AT THIS TIME.  HOWEVER...SHOULD IT BECOME EVIDENT THAT
THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES ARE BETTER THAN THE CHANCE CATEGORY MAY UPDATE
LATER THIS MORNING OR EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.

.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.

ABBAS

Hazardous weather outlook, May 13, 9:25 AM CST, 2 hours before

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-141100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1025 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 2003

THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK

...CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT...

A LOW LEVEL JET AXIS WAS NOTED ACROSS WESTERN OKLAHOMA THIS
MORNING. INFLUENCE FROM THIS FEATURE COMBINED WITH A SURFACE WARM
FRONT AND AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE HAS RESULTED IN THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT ACROSS SOUTHERN KANSAS THIS MORNING. SOME OF THESE
STORMS MAY AFFECT PARTS OF FAR NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA LATE THIS MORNING
AND EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AND THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR A SEVERE
STORM OR TWO IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA. SUFFICIENT ELEVATED INSTABILITY
SUGGESTS LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH ANY SEVERE
STORMS. THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BY EARLY AFTERNOON AS
THE UPPER DISTURBANCE MOVES EAST AND THE LOW LEVEL JET WEAKENS.

THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE AREAWIDE BY TONIGHT AS A VIGOROUS
UPPER SYSTEM MOVES FROM THE HIGH PLAINS INTO THE MIDWEST. A SURFACE
COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST COMBINED WITH THIS UPPER
SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS
KANSAS THIS EVENING. STORMS WILL LIKELY FORM A COMPLEX AS THEY MOVE
EAST SOUTHEAST ACROSS KANSAS AND INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS LATE TONIGHT. STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES
COMBINED WITH AMPLE LIFT FROM THE COLD FRONT AND A FAVORABLE LOW
LEVEL JET AXIS MAY RESULT IN A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SEVERE STORMS
TONIGHT. LARGE HAIL WOULD BE THE MAIN THREAT.

WARNING PROBABILITIES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES CAN BE
FOUND IN THE OUTLOOK SECTION AT: WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA. GIVEN
PROBABILITIES REPRESENT THE POTENTIAL FOR A WARNING TO BE ISSUED AT
YOUR LOCATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL DECREASE IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT FOR
THURSDAY...BUT RETURN FOR FRIDAY AS ANOTHER UPPER SYSTEM AND COLD
FRONT APPROACH THE AREA. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN OVER THE
WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...SPOTTER
ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATE TONIGHT ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT...
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 13, 10:42 AM CST, 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1142 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 2003

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

1111 AM    VINITA                    OK   1.00 IN HAIL
05/13/03   CRAIG                          SHERRIFFS OFFICE

PS

Local storm report, May 13, 10:52 AM CST, 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1152 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 2003

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

1140 AM    MIAMI                     OK   1.00 IN HAIL
05/13/03   OTTAWA                         POLICE DEPT

PS

Special weather statement, May 13, 10:59 AM CST, 26 minutes before

OKZ055-131730-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1159 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 2003

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN WASHINGTON
   COUNTY UNTIL 1230 PM CDT...

AT 1159 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM
MOVING INTO NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY AT 30 MPH. THIS STORM
WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH.
THE COMMUNITIES COPAN AND DEWEY WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM
THROUGH 1230 PM CDT.

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:24 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Benton

When: May 13, 11:25 AM CST
Where: Benton County, Gentry
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.267, -94.483

Hail, Benton

When: May 13, 12:10 PM CST
Where: Benton County, Wareagle
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 36.267, -93.933

Hail, Washington

When: May 13, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Washington County, Fayetteville
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 36.067, -94.167

Hail, Washington

When: May 13, 1:43 PM CST
Where: Washington County, Lincoln
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 35.950, -94.417

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: May 13, 1:48 PM CST
Where: Madison County, Huntsville
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.083, -93.733

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

Hail, Crawford

When: May 13, 2:23 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, 4 mi E of Mountainburg
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 35.633, -94.100

Hail, Crawford

When: May 13, 2:23 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, 2 mi W of Mountainburg
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 35.633, -94.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When: May 13, 2:25 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, Mulberry
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 35.500, -94.050

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew a large tree down onto a roof of a home. The winds also blew down power lines.

Hail, Crawford

When: May 13, 2:35 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, Bidville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 35.733, -93.983

Hail, Franklin

When: May 13, 2:50 PM CST
Where: Franklin County, Ozark
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.500, -93.833

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When: May 13, 2:50 PM CST
Where: Franklin County, Ozark
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.500, -93.833

Flash Flood, Franklin

When: May 13, 3:00 PM CST to 4:30 PM CST
Where: Franklin County, Countywide
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.512, -93.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy thunderstorms rains caused several secondary roads to be flooded. Severe street flooding was also reported in Ozark where 11th Street near Highway 64 was temporarily impassible due to high water around 5 pm.

Hail, Crawford

When: May 13, 3:20 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, Van Buren
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 35.433, -94.350

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.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, May 2003

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: 5358497, 5358498, 5358499, 5358500, 5358501, 5358502, 5358503, 5358576, 5358880, 5358881, 5358882, 5358884, 5358883.