Flash Flooding and Hail in Arkansas, April 22 to 23, 2004

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Arkansas, April 22 to 23, 2004
Start: 2004-04-22T21:50
End: 2004-04-23T05:00
Location: Arkansas

April 22 to 23, 2004 · NWS MEG · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

2 hail, 2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: $2,000
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 Apr 22, 8:28 PM CST, 1 hour 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 22, 8:28 PM CST, 1 hour 22 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
928 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

.UPDATE...
HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE A FLOOD WATCH FOR NORTHEAST AR...THE MO
BOOTHEEL...INTO PART OF NORTHWEST TN FROM 12 AM CDT TO 6 AM CDT
FRIDAY. THE AREAS IS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM
HARRISBURG AR TO COVINGTON TENNESSEE TO UNION CITY TENNESSEE.
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS / STORMS WILL MOVE INTO THIS AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT
FROM THE WEST. SATELLITE / RADARS INDICATE THE STORMS ARE CONTINUING
TO BE HEALTHY. IN ADDITION...WE ARE BEGINNING TO SEE SCATTERED
DEVELOPMENT AHEAD OF THE WIDESPREAD AREA. FLASH FLOOD VALUES ARE LOW
...MOSTLY BETWEEN 1.2 AND 1.5 INCHES IN A 3 HOUR PERIOD. 00Z
MESOETA CONTINUES TREND OF PREVIOUS RUNS...INDICATING STRONGER
POSITIVE VERTICAL VELOCITIES MOVING ACROSS NORTHEAST AR...THE MO
BOOTHEEL...INTO WEST TN DURING THE NIGHT.

.DISCUSSION...
CURRENT FORECAST AND GRIDS ARE HOLDING UP WELL. MOST
SHOWERS/STORMS HAVE DISSIPATED FOR THE TIME BEING ACROSS OUR
AREA...EXCEPT FOR A THUNDERSTORM NEAR DYERSBURG. WILL NEED TO UPDATE
LATER THIS EVENING TO REMOVE EVENING WORDING. 01Z ISSUANCE FROM SPC
CONTINUES OUR FORECAST AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE FOR TONIGHT.
NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT STRETCHES FROM WESTERN KY NEAR THE MO
BOOTHEEL AND ACROSS NORTHERN AR. ATMOSPHERE ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH IS
MOIST AND UNSTABLE. SURFACE BASED LIFTED INDICES AS SHOWN BY LAPS
DATA RANGE FROM ABOUT -5 ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL AR TO -2 NORTHERN AND
EASTERN AREAS OF THE MIDSOUTH. DEWPOINTS ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH ARE
IN THE 60S. 00Z SOUNDING FROM LZK SHOWED A CAPE OF 3135 J/KG WITH 0-3
KM STORM RELATIVE HELICITY OF 193 M2/S2. RADARS/SATELLITE SHOW
CONVECTION...SOME SEVERE...FROM SOUTHWESTERN MO INTO NORTHWESTERN AR.
THINK THIS CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE EASTWARD MOVING INTO NORTHEAST AR
AFTER MIDNIGHT. HOWEVER...WILL ALSO NEED TO MONITOR FOR FURTHER
DEVELOPMENT AHEAD OF THESE STORMS. THINK THAT LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS MUCH OF OUR FORECAST AREA LATER TONIGHT AS
THESE STORMS ENTER OUR CWA. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE FROM
NORTHEAST AR INTO THE MO BOOTHEEL AS DIRECTIONAL SHEAR ENHANCES
CLOSER TO THE FRONT. HEAVY RAIN THREAT STILL EXIST FROM NORTHEAST AR
ACROSS THE MO BOOTHEEL INTO NORTHWEST TN...WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR
FOR POSSIBLE FLASH FLOOD WATCH. WILL UPDATE THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER
OUTLOOK.

&&

.MEG...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...FLOOD WATCH FROM 12 AM TO 6 AM CDT FRIDAY ALONG AND NORTH
OF A LINE FROM HARRISBURG TO THE MS RIVER.
MS...NONE.
MO...FLOOD WATCH FROM 12 AM TO 6 AM CDT FRIDAY.
TN...FLOOD WATCH FROM 12 AM TO 6 AM CDT FRIDAY ALONG AND WEST
OF A COVINGTON TN TO UNION CITY TN LINE.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 22, 8:46 PM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
946 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017-
020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-231100-
ALCORN-BENTON-CALHOUN-CARROLL-CHESTER-CHICKASAW-CLAY-COAHOMA-
CRAIGHEAD-CRITTENDEN-CROCKETT-CROSS-DECATUR-DESOTO-DUNKLIN-DYER-
FAYETTE-GIBSON-GREENE-HARDEMAN-HARDIN-HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-HENRY-
ITAWAMBA-LAFAYETTE-LAKE-LAUDERDALE-LAWRENCE-LEE(AR)-LEE(MS)-MADISON-
MARSHALL-MCNAIRY-MISSISSIPPI-MONROE-OBION-PANOLA-PEMISCOT-PHILLIPS-
POINSETT-PONTOTOC-PRENTISS-QUITMAN-RANDOLPH-SHELBY-ST. FRANCIS-
TALLAHATCHIE-TATE-TIPPAH-TIPTON-TISHOMINGO-TUNICA-UNION-WEAKLEY-
YALOBUSHA-
946 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTH
MISSISSIPPI...WEST TENNESSEE AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL.

.DAY ONE...REMAINDER OF TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE
REGION TONIGHT. THE SLIGHT RISK AREA INCLUDES MEMPHIS...JONESBORO...
DYERSBURG...JACKSON...OXFORD AND TUPELO.

A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS FROM WESTERN KENTUCKY ACROSS THE MISSOURI
BOOTHEEL AND ON ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS. THE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS THE
MIDSOUTH WILL REMAIN MOIST AND UNSTABLE TONIGHT. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS MUCH OF THE MIDSOUTH DURING THE
NIGHT. MEANWHILE...MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
MOVE INTO NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...AND PARTS OF
NORTHWEST TENNESSEE AFTER MIDNIGHT. THERE IS THE THREAT OF DAMAGING
WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ACROSS MOST OF THE MIDSOUTH. IN ADDITION...
ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE FROM NORTHEAST ARKANSAS INTO THE
MISSOURI BOOTHEEL.

A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FROM 12 AM TO 6 AM CDT FRIDAY FOR MUCH
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...AND INTO PARTS OF
EXTREME WEST TENNESSEE. THE AREA OF THE FLOOD WATCH IS ALONG AND
NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM HARRISBURG ARKANSAS TO COVINGTON TENNESSEE
TO UNION CITY TENNESSEE. THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF JONESBORO...
KENNETT...AND DYERSBURG.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
DETAILS OR UPDATES. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR
WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MEG.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 22, 5:23 PM CST, 4 hours 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
623 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1255 PM     TSTM WND DMG     13 E HENDERSON          35.44N 88.42W
04/22/2004                   CHESTER            TN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEVERAL TREES DOWN AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO HOUSES IN THE
            AREA.

&&

MM

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Craighead

When: April 22, 9:50 PM CST to 10:10 PM CST
Where: Craighead County, Brookland
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $150
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 35.900, -90.583

Hail, Lawrence

When: April 22, 11:10 PM CST to 11:15 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County, Lynn
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Property damage: $50
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.000, -91.250

Flash Flood, Craighead

When: April 22, 11:45 PM CST to April 23, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Craighead County, Brookland
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.831, -90.633 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood waters reached the underpinnings of several homes near a creek in northern Craighead county.

Flash Flood, St. Francis

When: April 23, 3:00 AM CST to 5:00 AM CST
Where: St. Francis County, Forrest City
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 35.022, -90.748 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several streets were flooded.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, April 2004

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: 5392459, 5392460, 5392541, 5392542.