Arkansas, 2004

Damaging Winds in Arkansas, July 8, 2004

July 8, 2004 · NWS LZK · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Trees and power lines were blown down.

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
2

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 happened

The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.

Trees and power lines were blown down.

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 Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 8, 1:41 PM CST, 4 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 1:41 PM CST, 4 hours 14 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
240 PM CDT THU JUL  8 2004

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...
MCS FROM SOUTHEAST KANSAS MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST MISSOURI AND
WILL EVENTUALLY HEAD INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY THIS EVENING.
MEANWHILE...SCATTERED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WORKING NORTHWARD
FROM LOUISIANA. WILL KEEP CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION THIS
EVENING IN NORTHERN COUNTIES AND ALSO IN SOUTH. ONLY
ISOLATED PRECIPITATION IN CENTRAL SECTIONS OF STATE. ALL
PRECIPITATION PRETTY MUCH GONE BY MIDNIGHT.

WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE/SHEAR AXIS WILL CONTINUE FROM
TEXAS INTO NORTHERN/WESTERN ARKANSAS THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH
RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE TO WEST. WITH HIGH NOT QUITE TAKING
OVER YET...WILL KEEP SCATTERED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
FORECAST FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING.

OVER THE WEEKEND...SHEAR AXIS GONE WITH HIGH PRESSURE FIRMLY IN
CONTROL OF WEATHER PATTERN. ONLY ISOLATED AFTERNOON AND EVENING
THUNDER EXPECTED...WITH DRY/HOT CONDITIONS. (46)
&&

.LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY
SEE NO REASON TO MAKE ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST
TODAY. MAIN REASON...H5 RIDGE WILL BE PREDOMINANT THROUGHOUT MUCH OF
THE PERIOD. SOUTHWESTERLY/SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL BE NOTED AT THE
SURFACE...KEEPING TEMPERATURES WARM. SEVERAL WEAKNESSES IN THE UPPER
FLOW WILL MOVE THROUGH...BUT WITH MOISTURE BEING MARGINAL...AND LACK
OF A LARGE SCALE FOCUSING MECHANISM...ANY CONVECTION WILL BE
ISOLATED AND DIURNAL IN NATURE.

BY WEDNESDAY...UPPER RIDGE WILL SINK SOUTHWARD AND MAY EVEN SHOW A
LITTLE RETROGRESSION. NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL SET UP ACROSS
NORTHERN ARKANSAS. THIS WILL ALLOW SEVERAL IMPULSES TO MOVE DOWN IN
THE MEAN FLOW...KEEPING A CONTINUED CHANCE OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST.

BY THURSDAY...NORTHWESTERLY FLOW AT THE UPPER LEVELS MAY ALLOW A
SURFACE FRONT TO PUSH INTO THE AREA. HOWEVER...SOLUTIONS ARE ALWAYS
A BIT IFFY THIS FAR OUT. WITH PERSISTENT SUMMERTIME PATTERN FOR MUCH
OF THE PERIOD...WILL CONTINUE CURRENT POP AND SENSIBLE WEATHER
TRENDS OF DIURNAL ACTIVITY. MADE VERY LITTLE CHANGES TO
TEMPERATURES. (57)
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
LITTLE ROCK AR    73  92  73  91 /  20  30  20  20
HARRISON AR       70  89  70  88 /  30  30  20  20
HOT SPRINGS AR    74  93  74  91 /  30  30  20  20
PINE BLUFF AR     74  92  74  92 /  30  30  20  20
MOUNTAIN HOME AR  70  89  70  88 /  30  30  20  20
MONTICELLO AR     73  92  73  92 /  30  30  20  20
SEARCY AR         73  91  73  90 /  20  30  20  20
MOUNT IDA AR      74  93  74  92 /  30  30  20  20
RUSSELLVILLE AR   73  91  73  90 /  30  30  20  20
&&

.LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.
&&

46/57
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 8, 2:25 PM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
325 PM CDT THU JUL 8 2004

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-091000-
ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-
CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-
INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE-
MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-
PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE-
WOODRUFF-YELL-
325 PM CDT THU JUL 8 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A SYSTEM ALOFT WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST MISSOURI FROM KANSAS EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON. AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM...A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WAS DEVELOPING...WITH THE LINE EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO
NORTHERN AND PERHAPS CENTRAL ARKANSAS THROUGH THIS EVENING.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE STRONG TO DAMAGING
WINDS...WITH HAIL IN SOME AREAS. THIS WOULD INCLUDE AREAS NORTH AND
WEST OF MENA...CONWAY AND HARDY.

ELSEWHERE...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
CONTINUE POPPING UP THROUGH THIS EVENING. WITH A SLOW MOVEMENT AND A
MOIST ATMOSPHERE...THE STORMS WILL TEND TO PRODUCE HEAVY
RAINFALL...WITH FLASH FLOODING POSSIBLE IN A FEW SPOTS.

OVERNIGHT...ALL PRECIPITATION SHOULD DISSIPATE BY MIDNIGHT OR
SO...WITH PATCHY FOG DEVELOPING AFTER MIDNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE FROM TEXAS INTO NORTHERN AND WESTERN
ARKANSAS WILL BRING SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ON FRIDAY.

OTHERWISE...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ALOFT THIS WEEKEND AND INTO
NEXT WEEK...WITH HOT AND MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS IN THE FORECAST.
ONLY ISOLATED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED.

WHILE STORMS WILL BE ISOLATED...THEY MAY PRODUCE STRONG WIND GUSTS.
THE STORMS WILL MOVE SLOWLY...WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL EXPECTED.

THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES FROM THE PLAINS...WHICH HAVE AFFECTED MUCH OF
ARKANSAS RECENTLY...WILL TEND TO MOVE NORTH OF THE REGION WITH HIGH
PRESSURE IN PLACE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS EVENING IN NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS A LINE OF STORMS ARRIVES FROM MISSOURI.

46

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 8, 4:27 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
527 PM CDT THU JUL 08 2004

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

0430 PM     HAIL             MCRAE                   35.11N 91.82W
07/08/2004  0.75 INCH        WHITE              AR   PUBLIC

&&

44

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnson

When
July 8, 5:55 PM CST
Where
Johnson County, Clarksville
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.467, -93.467

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnson

When
July 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Johnson County, 5 mi NE of Clarksville
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.517, -93.400

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

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, July 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: 5416016, 5416017.