Damaging Winds in Arkansas, March 20, 2004

Name: Damaging Winds in Arkansas, March 20, 2004
Start: 2004-03-20T22:30
End: 2004-03-20T22:50
Location: Arkansas

March 20, 2004 · NWS LZK · 8 events in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorm winds downed a number of trees across portions of Bradley County.

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: 8

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.

Thunderstorm winds downed a number of trees across portions of Bradley County.

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 Mar 20, 8:30 PM CST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 8:30 PM CST, 2 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
830 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

.DISCUSSION...
CDFNT WORKING ACRS CNTRL AR ATTM WITH CONVECTION CONFINED TO AREAS
ALONG AND S OF THE BNDRY. DRIER AIR MOVING IN QUICKLY BEHIND THE
FRONT WITH DEWPOINT READINGS IN THE 30S OVER NRN AR. UPDATED GRIDS
TO ACCOUNT FOR CURRENT TRENDS. REMOVED POPS FROM NRN COUNTIES...
TRIMMED BACK POPS TO CHC CAT OVER CNTRL SECTIONS UNTIL MIDNIGHT AND
INDCD A DECREASING RAIN CHCS OVER SRN AR OVERNIGHT. UPDATED GRIDS
AND ZONES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SENT.
&&

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

44

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 20, 6:00 PM CST, 4 hours 30 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
600 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-211100-
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-
600 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A COLD FRONT OVER NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE
SOUTHWARD TONIGHT. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WILL OCCUR AHEAD OF THE FRONT. ISOLATED STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE.
LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT...BUT ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS
MAY ALSO OCCUR.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY OVER MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN TWO
THIRDS OF STATE THIS EVENING.

22

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 145 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bradley

When: March 20, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Bradley County, 2 mi E of Farmville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.533, -92.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Bradley

When: March 20, 10:35 PM CST
Where: Bradley County, Sumpter
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.467, -92.033

Thunderstorm Wind, Bradley

When: March 20, 10:40 PM CST
Where: Bradley County, 3 mi NE of Hermitage
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.483, -92.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Bradley

When: March 20, 10:40 PM CST
Where: Bradley County, 1 mi N of Pattsville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.450, -92.117

Thunderstorm Wind, Bradley

When: March 20, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Bradley County, Mt Olive
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.417, -92.067

Thunderstorm Wind, Bradley

When: March 20, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Bradley County, 2 mi W of Hermitage
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.450, -92.217

Thunderstorm Wind, Bradley

When: March 20, 10:48 PM CST
Where: Bradley County, 1 mi S of Mt Olive
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.400, -92.067

Thunderstorm Wind, Bradley

When: March 20, 10:50 PM CST
Where: Bradley County, 5 mi E of Jersey
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.433, -92.233

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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, March 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: 5387779, 5387780, 5387781, 5387782, 5387783, 5387784, 5387785, 5387786.