A system aloft triggered storms in northern Arkansas on the 27th. The coverage and intensity of these storms increased as they headed into eastern sections of the state.
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 system aloft triggered storms in northern Arkansas on the 27th. The coverage and intensity of these storms increased as they headed into eastern sections of the state.
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 27, 2:36 PM CST, 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 336 PM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT HIGH PRESSURE IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON...WITH STORMS MOVING AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE HIGH. ONE MCS DEVELOPED IN NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE THIS MORNING...AND WAS IN THE EASTERN COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON. CLOUDS/PRECIPITATION WITH MCS KEPT TEMPERATURES DOWN IN THE NORTH/EAST...WITH A HEAT ADVISORY CANCELLED. THERE WILL BE LINGERING ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS INTO THIS EVENING...MAINLY IN CENTRAL/SOUTHERN ARKANSAS IN ASSOCIATION WITH A SYSTEM ALOFT. A FEW STORMS COULD BE SEVERE. OTHERWISE... THERE WILL BE CLEARING OVERNIGHT. ON MONDAY/TUESDAY...THE HIGH TO THE WEST WILL MOVE OVER THE REGION. LITTLE IF ANY RAIN EXPECTED...WITH HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HEAT INDEX VALUES. A HEAT ADVISORY HAS BEEN POSTED FOR MUCH OF THE COUNTY WARNING AREA EXCEPT THE NORTHERN TWO ROWS OF COUNTIES. AS THE SHORT TERM COMES TO A CLOSE...THE HIGH APPEARS TO HEAD BACK TO THE WEST...WITH A NORTHWEST WIND FLOW ALOFT DEVELOPING. ANOTHER SYSTEM ALOFT MAY TRIGGER SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. && .LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE PERIOD STARTS WITH THE UPPER TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN U.S...WHILE THE UPPER RIDGE IS CENTERED MORE OVER THE 4 CORNERS REGION. AS THE PERIOD PROGRESSES...THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS MORE TO THE EAST...WITH THE MODELS CENTERING IT MORE OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL PLAINS...AND THE UPPER TROUGH IN THE EAST LIFTS NORTHEAST. THIS WOULD START THE FORECAST WITH THE MAINLY AFTERNOON TO EVENING CONVECTION THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...THEN ONLY SMALL TO VERY ISOLATED OVER THE WEEKEND. WITH THE NORTHWEST FLOW THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...SOME SHORTWAVE ENERGY IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE AREA...THEN SHIFT MORE NORTH AND NORTHEAST WITH THE BUILDING RIDGE. TEMPS WILL STAY AROUND NORMAL TO A BIT ELEVATED TO START WITH SOME INFLUENCES OF CONVECTION OR THE RIDGE... THEN WARM TO THE UPPER 90S TO AROUND 100 AS THE RIDGE BUILDS MORE OVER THE AREA. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 74 98 74 99 / 20 10 10 10 CAMDEN AR 73 101 75 100 / 20 10 10 10 HARRISON AR 72 95 73 96 / 10 10 10 10 HOT SPRINGS AR 75 101 75 100 / 20 10 10 10 LITTLE ROCK AR 76 100 76 99 / 20 10 10 10 MONTICELLO AR 75 101 77 99 / 20 10 10 10 MOUNT IDA AR 72 101 74 98 / 10 10 10 10 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 73 96 72 97 / 10 10 10 10 NEWPORT AR 75 99 75 99 / 20 10 10 10 PINE BLUFF AR 76 101 77 99 / 20 10 10 10 RUSSELLVILLE AR 74 100 75 99 / 10 10 10 10 SEARCY AR 75 100 75 99 / 20 10 10 10 STUTTGART AR 76 100 77 99 / 20 10 10 10 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HEAT ADVISORY FROM 12 PM MONDAY TO 9 PM CDT TUESDAY FOR CLEBURNE- INDEPENDENCE-JACKSON-MONROE-PRAIRIE-VAN BUREN-WHITE-WOODRUFF. HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM CDT TUESDAY FOR ARKANSAS-BRADLEY- CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEVELAND-CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER- GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE- MONTGOMERY-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT- YELL. && SHORT TERM...46 / LONG TERM...59
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 835 AM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-281000- 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- 835 AM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE STATE TODAY. THIS INCLUDES AREAS SOUTH OF CLARKSVILLE AND NEWPORT. HOT TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH HIGH HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL CREATE HEAT INDEX VALUES OVER 105 DEGREES. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE POPPING UP AHEAD OF A SYSTEM ALOFT IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. HIT AND MISS PRECIPITATION WAS OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE STATE THIS MORNING. PRECIPITATION MAY DISSIPATE BRIEFLY...BUT IS EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FEW STORMS MAY BE SEVERE THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN CONCERNS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...RESULTING IN HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS. A HEAT ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...AND WILL LIKELY BE EXTENDED INTO THE MIDDLE PART OF THE WEEK. LITTLE IF ANY PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY EARLY IN THE WEEK. THERE IS SOME INDICATION THAT HIGH PRESSURE MAY WEAKEN OR SHIFT TO THE WEST BY WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY...WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS RETURNING AND TEMPERATURES COOLING SLIGHTLY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED...WITH ONLY ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS EXPECTED TODAY. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 61/44/46
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1019 AM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 ARZ025-271545- JACKSON- 1019 AM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR JACKSON COUNTY UNTIL 1045 AM CDT... AT 1019 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM GRUBBS TO AMAGON AND BLACKVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE TORRENTIAL RAIN...WITH 1 TO 2 INCH AMOUNTS IN EASTERN JACKSON COUNTY. GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED. PEOPLE IN EASTERN JACKSON COUNTY SHOULD STAY INDOORS UNTIL THE STORMS PASS. 46
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1106 AM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 ARZ025-271640- JACKSON- 1106 AM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR JACKSON COUNTY UNTIL 1140 AM CDT... AT 1106 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF TUPELO...OR NEAR BLACKVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM AS IT HEADS TOWARD BEEDEVILLE. PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THE STORM SHOULD STAY INDOORS UNTIL THE STORM PASSES. 46
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 70 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:47 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees, large limbs, and power lines were down in a one mile radius. The cooperative observer described the event as a microburst.
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, July 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: 124921.