Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 14, 2003

Name: Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 14, 2003
Start: 2003-05-14T16:45
End: 2003-05-14T16:45
Location: Arkansas

May 14, 2003 · NWS SHV · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 14, 2:50 PM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 14, 2:50 PM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
350 PM CDT WED MAY 14 2003

NEXT ROUND OF SEVERE WEATHER OVER THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE CWA RIGHT
NOW. THIS HAS PROMPTED SPC TO ISSUE TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF AREA
ALONG AND NORTH OF I 20 TIL 8 PM. THIS AREA MAY SLOWLY SAG SOUTHWARD
AS STORMS RACE EASTWARD. AM TENDING TO THINK A LITTLE THAT THERE
WON/T BE ANOTHER ROUND OF SEVERE DURING THE DAY TOMORROW...UNLESS
TONIGHTS IS LINGERING DOWN SOUTH IN THE MORNING. BUT STORMS MAY GET
GOING TOMORROW NIGHT...AND CHANCE OF STORMS WILL PERSIST INTO
SATURDAY AS UPPER LEVEL LOW COMES DRIFTING THIS WAY.

UPPER RIDGE LOOKS TO ASSERT ITSELF LATTER PART OF WEEKEND AND INTO
NEXT WEEK. NOT THAT WE WILL GET ANY LESS HUMID...BUT EXPECTING
CAPPING INVERSION TO KEEP THINGS QUIET FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. 17

PRELIMS...

SHV 69/89/72/87/71 4222
MLU 69/90/70/89/71 4222
TXK 68/88/71/86/70 6255
TYR 71/89/72/87/71 4222
LFK 70/90/73/89/73 2222

.SHV...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, May 14, 11:00 AM CST, 5 hours 45 minutes before

ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077-TXZ096-
097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-151100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1200 PM CDT WED MAY 14 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...NORTHEAST
TEXAS...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT ACROSS THE FOUR STATES REGION. HOWEVER...THE
NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA...GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE
20...IS THE PRIMARY AREA OF CONCERN. A WEAK WARM FRONT STRETCHES
FROM THE RED RIVER OF MCCURTAIN COUNTY OKLAHOMA...THROUGH THE
VICINITY OF EL DORADO ARKANSAS. THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SERVE AS
A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...WITH STORMS EXPECTED TO MOVE
EAST SOUTHEASTWARD AFTER FORMING. VERY LARGE HAIL IS THE PRIMARY
THREAT WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH STRONG
DAMAGING WINDS ALSO QUITE POSSIBLE. ISOLATED TORNADOES CANNOT BE
RULED OUT EITHER...ESPECIALLY JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT
WHERE LOW LEVEL VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WILL BE GREATEST.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
THERE IS A CONTINUED SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY
THROUGH SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...
ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGERS...SKYWARN NETWORKS...AND STORM
SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 14, 3:06 PM CST, 1 hour 39 minutes before

ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-012>014-OKZ077-TXZ096-097-
108>112-124>126-138-150100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
406 PM CDT WED MAY 14 2003

...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH HALF OF THE FOUR
STATE AREA...

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM THIS EVENING...FOR
THAT PART OF THE FOUR STATE AREA GENERALLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20.
THIS AREA INCLUDES ALL OF SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...MCCURTAIN COUNTY
OKLAHOMA. IT ALSO INCLUDES THE CITIES OF CLARKSVILLE...MOUNT
PLEASANT...GILMER...AND MARSHALL IN TEXAS...AND SHREVEPORT AND
BOSSIER CITY...MINDEN...HOMER...RUSTON...AND MONROE IN LOUISIANA.

A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOS IN AND
NEAR THE WATCH AREA. RESIDENTS OF THIS AREA SHOULD STAY ALERT FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

03

Local storm report, May 14, 4:14 PM CST, 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT, LA
514 PM CDT WED MAY 14 2003

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

1150 AM    BROKEN BOW                OK   .88 INCH HAIL
05/14/03   MCCURTAIN                      REPORTED BY FIRE
                                          DEPARTMENT.

0325 PM    NASHVILLE                 AR   .75 INCH HAIL
05/14/03   HOWARD                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT.

0345 PM    WASHINGTON                AR   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/14/03   HEMPSTEAD                      REPORTED BY GENERAL
                                          PUBLIC.

0400 PM    HORATIO                   AR   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/14/03   SEVIER                         REPORTED BY GENERAL
                                          PUBLIC.

0410 PM    LOCKESBURG                AR   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/14/03   SEVIER                         REPORTED BY CO-OP
                                          OBSERVER.

0430 PM    BROKEN BOW                OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/14/03   MCCURTAIN                      REPORTED BY FIRE
                                          DEPARTMENT.

0455 PM    FOREMAN                   AR   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/14/03   LITTLE RIVER                   REPORTED BY SPOTTERS.

20

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:42 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When: May 14, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Lafayette County, Bradley
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 33.100, -93.667

Strong straight line winds and heavy rain pummeled the area knocking down numerous trees. One tree fell onto a van bringing a power line with it. The line was pulled off the pole otherwise the occupants would have been electrocuted according to the local police. A chimney was blown from a house on Lafayette County road 5. Nearby, a chicken house received a large hole when a 6 to 8 inch wide limb blew into it and seven large pecan trees were blown down.

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 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: 5353376.