An upper level disturbance moved into Eastern Arkansas during the late afternoon and early evening hours. Showers and thunderstorms developed in association with disturbance.
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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 MEG wrote it up.
An upper level disturbance moved into Eastern Arkansas during the late afternoon and early evening hours. Showers and thunderstorms developed in association with disturbance. Some of the thunderstorms became severe with large hail and damaging winds.
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 Jun 20, 2:21 PM CST, 4 hours 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 321 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 2008 .DISCUSSION... A SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE MIDSOUTH TONIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. THE SHORTWAVE WILL HELP PRODUCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE CWA. BEST CHANCES TONIGHT WILL LIKELY BE ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN SECTIONS OF THE CWA INCLUDING THE CITIES OF JACKSON TENNESSEE AND TUPELO MISSISSIPPI. BY SATURDAY...BEST CHANCES WILL SHIFT TO JUST NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF THE REST OF THE CWA STAYS DRY ON SATURDAY AS THE NAM IS HINTING AT THIS SOLUTION WITH THE LATEST RUN. HOWEVER GFS AND ECMWF CONTINUES TO SHOW CHANCES FOR RAIN. FOR NOW...WILL GO DRY ACROSS NORTHEAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL. WILL PUT 20 POPS IN THE MEM TO MKL CORRIDOR AND 30 POPS ACROSS NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. LOWS TONIGHT WILL BE IN THE 60S WITH HIGHS ON SATURDAY IN THE MID 80S. SATURDAY NIGHT...DRIER AIR WILL BEGIN TO FILTER INTO THE REGION AS WINDS TURN TO THE NORTH. LOWS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S. SUNDAY INTO EARLY MONDAY...ANOTHER SHORTWAVE IN COMBINATION WITH A FRONT WILL SINK INTO THE MIDSOUTH FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS. A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SHORTWAVE AND FRONT. WILL GO WITH 20 POPS. BY MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY...SFC HIGH PRESSURE AND AN UPPER RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO BUILD OVER THE AREA. CONDITIONS WILL BE DRY WITH TEMPERATURES CREEPING INTO THE LOWER 90S FOR HIGHS. LOWS WILL BE IN THE 60S INTO THE LOWER 70S. THURSDAY THROUGH THE END OF THE FORECAST...EXPECT DIURNAL CONVECTION THUS WILL OR CONTINUE 20 POPS. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 80S WITH LOWS IN THE 60S INTO THE LOWER 70S. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 69 85 66 89 / 30 20 10 10 MKL 64 83 59 88 / 40 20 10 20 JBR 66 84 63 88 / 20 10 10 20 TUP 67 83 65 88 / 50 30 10 10 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. && KRM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 413 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 2008 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-211100- ALCORN-BENTON MS-CALHOUN-CARROLL-CHESTER-CHICKASAW-CLAY-COAHOMA- CRAIGHEAD-CRITTENDEN-CROCKETT-CROSS-DESOTO-DECATUR-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- 413 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. JCL
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
630 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0630 PM HAIL KENNETT 36.24N 90.05W
06/20/2008 E1.00 INCH DUNKLIN MO TRAINED SPOTTER
PENNY TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL IN KENNETT.
&&
JKTSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 637 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 2008 ARZ027-210015- POINSETT AR- 637 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... SOUTHWESTERN POINSETT COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED OVER WALDENBURG AT 637 PM CDT...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 13 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN POINSETT COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITY OF HARRISBURG...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM CDT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 648 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 2008 ARZ026-210030- CRAIGHEAD AR- 648 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... EASTERN CRAIGHEAD COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 3 MILES EAST OF BROOKLAND AT 648 PM CDT... MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 11 MPH. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN CRAIGHEAD COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF BAY... BROOKLAND...CARAWAY...LAKE CITY AND MONETTE...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 732 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 2008 ARZ035-210100- CROSS AR- 732 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... WESTERN CROSS COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 6 MILES SOUTH OF HICKORY RIDGE AT 732 PM CDT... MOVING SOUTH AT 18 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN CROSS COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITY OF WYNNE...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds knocked down a large tree at Walnut Street and 2nd Street in Blytheville.
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, June 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: 120978, 120979.