A cold front pushed into Arkansas from the north on August 29th. Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of the front during the afternoon.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.
A cold front pushed into Arkansas from the north on August 29th. Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of the front during the afternoon.
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 Aug 29, 10:07 AM CST, 2 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1107 AM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008 .UPDATE... INITIALIZED GRIDS...AND BUMPED UP POPS ALONG THE NORTH TO ACCOUNT FOR BOUNDARIES CROSSING INTO THE STATE. STILL EXPECTING ISOLATED CHANCES ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AS WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVES SOUTH. REST OF GRIDS SEEM TO BE ON TRACK...BUT WILL MONITOR FOR ANY ADDITIONAL UPDATES. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 637 AM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008/ AVIATION... CONVECTION MISSOURI WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTH TODAY. HAVE TEMPO GROUPS FOR TSRA AT THE NORTHERN SITES LATER THIS MORNING...AND THE CENTRAL SITES AFTER 18Z. VSBY WILL CONTINUE TO BE REDUCED THIS MORNING DUE TO LOW TEMP/DEW POINT SPREADS. THE FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH/WASH OUT OVERNIGHT...WITH MID CLOUDS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 355 AM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT OUTFLOW BNDRY FM CONVECTION IN MO HAS CONTD WORKING SLOLY SWWD OVR NERN AR AND WL CONT WORKING INTO CNTRL AR LATER THRU DAWN. HAVE SEEN SCTD SHRA/TSRA FORM JUST BEHIND THE BNDRY AND WL CONT WITH LOW POPS THIS MRNG FOR NRN AND CNTRL SECTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL FORMATION. MEANWHILE...A SFC CDFNT WAS NOTED FURTHER NWD FM SERN KS ACRS CNTRL MO. THIS BNDRY IS FCST TO CONT WORKING SWD INTO NRN AR ARND MIDDAY... INTO CNTRL SECTIONS THIS EVENING AND EVENTUALLY TO ARND THE AR/LA BRDR SAT MRNG. WL CONT TO MENTION LOW CHC POPS VCNTY OF THE BNDRY TODAY AND TNGT. THE BNDRY IS EXPECTED TO EVENTUALLY DISSIPATE JUST S OF AR OVR THE WEEKEND AS HIGH PRES AT THE SFC AND ALOFT BLDS INTO THE REGION. BY EARLY NEXT WEEK...THE FOCUS WL RMN ON THE EVENTUAL TRACK AND STRENGTH OF GUSTAV. SEE NO REASON TO DIFFER WITH THE FCST TRACK FM THE NHC ATTM. WL SEE MID AND HIGH LVL CLOUDS INCRS FM THE SE MON AND MON NGT...WITH SMALL RAIN CHCS OVER SERN AR. LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MUCH OF THE EXTENDED FORECAST WILL DEPEND ON THE TRACK OF GUSTAV. AT THIS TIME...HAVE CONTINUED PREVIOUS THINKING AND WENT WITH CHANCE POPS...WITH THE HIGHEST POPS IN THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST. GUIDANCE DOES NOT HAVE A GOOD HANDLE OF THE TROPICAL SYSTEM IN TERMS OF TEMPS AND POPS...SO DID STRAY A GOOD BIT AWAY FROM GUIDANCE. DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND RAINFALL...TEMPERATURES WILL BE AT LEAST A CATEGORY COOLER THAN GUIDANCE. THIS ENTIRE SITUATION WILL BE MONITORED FOR ANY CHANGES IN TRACK. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTH BY LATE IN THE EXTENDED...SO RAIN CHANCES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE ENTIRE LONG TERM. THERE ARE DIFFERING SOLUTIONS REGARDING THIS FRONTAL SYSTEM AS WELL...SO TIMING AND PLACEMENT ISSUES WILL BE MONITORED. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 91 67 89 68 / 40 20 10 10 CAMDEN AR 96 70 95 71 / 20 30 20 10 HARRISON AR 89 65 88 64 / 40 20 10 10 HOT SPRINGS AR 95 72 92 72 / 20 30 20 10 LITTLE ROCK AR 94 73 91 71 / 20 30 20 10 MONTICELLO AR 95 72 94 72 / 30 30 20 10 MOUNT IDA AR 93 70 93 71 / 20 30 20 10 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 91 66 89 65 / 40 10 10 10 NEWPORT AR 93 69 89 69 / 40 20 10 10 PINE BLUFF AR 95 72 93 71 / 20 30 20 10 RUSSELLVILLE AR 94 71 91 69 / 30 20 20 10 SEARCY AR 93 69 90 70 / 30 20 10 10 STUTTGART AR 94 73 91 71 / 20 30 20 10 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && 61
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 500 AM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-301000- 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- 500 AM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT DUE TO THE HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE AIR...PATCHY FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING. VISIBILITIES WILL DRASTICALLY FALL IN A SHORT DISTANCE...SO USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING THIS MORNING. THE FOG WILL BURN OFF BY MID MORNING. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE STATE TODAY...WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. THE MAIN CONCERN WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE FRONT WILL STALL OR WASH OUT OVER THE STATE ON SATURDAY...WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE. ATTENTION WILL THEN TURN TO THE GULF OF MEXICO...AND THE EXPECTED TRACK OF THE TROPICAL SYSTEM GUSTAV. AT THIS TIME...LANDFALL WILL BE ANYWHERE FROM TEXAS TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. WHERE THIS SYSTEM MAKES LANDFALL WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH OF AN EFFECT IT HAS ON THE WEATHER IN ARKANSAS. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT RESIDENTS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FROM YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE REGARDING GUSTAV. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 58
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1026 AM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008 ARZ006-007-291625- FULTON-SHARP- 1026 AM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR FULTON AND SHARP COUNTIES UNTIL 1125 AM CDT... AT 1026 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM JUST SOUTH OF MAMMOTH SPRING TO SADDLE...AND ALSO ARMSTRONG TO SITKA. THE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS MAY OCCUR IN SOME AREAS. MOTORISTS SHOULD EXPECT REDUCED VISIBILITY DUE TO THE HEAVY RAIN. 46
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 100 PM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008 ARZ056-063-064-291845- CLEVELAND-JEFFERSON-LINCOLN- 100 PM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR CLEVELAND...JEFFERSON AND LINCOLN COUNTIES UNTIL 145 PM CDT... AT 100 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS NEAR PINE BLUFF...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH. WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL. PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD STAY INDOORS UNTIL THE STORMS PASS. 46
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 129 PM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008 ARZ033-291900- WHITE- 129 PM CDT FRI AUG 29 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR WHITE COUNTY UNTIL 200 PM CDT... AT 129 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ALBION...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH. WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL. PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD STAY INDOORS UNTIL THE STORM PASSES. 46
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and power lines were down along Arkansas Highway 16. The highway was completely blocked by the trees and power lines.
Trees were blown onto power lines.
Winds were estimated at 50 to 60 mph with this storm.
A tree and a power line were blown down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, August 2008
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: 125331, 125333, 125328, 125329, 125334.