Hail in Arkansas, March 27, 2008

Name: Hail in Arkansas, March 27, 2008
Start: 2008-03-27T17:54
End: 2008-03-27T18:29
Location: Arkansas

March 27, 2008 · NWS TSA · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A few severe thunderstorms developed in northwest Arkansas during the early evening hours of the 27th.

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 TSA wrote it up.

A few severe thunderstorms developed in northwest Arkansas during the early evening hours of the 27th.

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 Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 27, 2:19 PM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 27, 2:19 PM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
319 PM CDT THU MAR 27 2008

.DISCUSSION...
THIS IS NOT THE MOST STRAIGHTFORWARD FORECAST...BUT NOT ALL THAT
UNUSUAL FOR THE TIME OF YEAR. STRONG ZONAL PATTERN TO CONTINUE
WITH AN OSCILLATING FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN THE VICINITY FOR MUCH OF
THE PERIOD...AND HARD TO FIND A PERIOD WHERE THERE WILL NOT BE AT
LEAST SOME OPPORTUNITY FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SOMEWHERE IN
THE FORECAST AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO BE HEAVILY DEPENDANT ON
PRECIP AND CLOUD COVER. CONFIDENCE LEVEL IS NOT HIGH.

CURRENTLY TEMPS ARE SOARING INTO THE MID 80S ALONG I-44 CORRIDOR
AHEAD OF STRONG COLD FRONT. TEMPS TO THE NORTH OF THE FRONT IN THE
MID-UPPER 40S THROUGH CENTRAL KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THE FRONT
WILL CONTINUE SURGING SOUTH THIS EVENING AND WHILE THE ATMOSPHERE
IS WELL CAPPED TO THE SOUTH...WILL SEE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOP ALONG AND BEHIND THE FRONT PRIMARILY AFTER SUNSET.
MODERATELY STRONG SHEAR AND MU CAPES APPROACHING 2000 J/KG LEAD TO
SOME CHANCE OF SEVERE OVER FAR NE OKLAHOMA THROUGH MUCH OF NW
ARKANSAS TONIGHT...HAIL THE BIG THREAT.

MUCH COOLER TEMPS BEHIND FRONT BY LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUING
THROUGH FRIDAY. STILL UNCERTAIN HOW FAR MOISTURE WILL GET PUSHED
SOUTH BEFORE THIS FRONT BEGINS TO LIFT NORTH OVER THE WEEKEND.
POPS WILL BE KEPT GOING THROUGH SUNDAY WITH HIGHER CHANCES DURING
THE OVERNIGHT PERIODS AS ZONAL FLOW KEEPS NOCTURNAL LLJ IN PLAY.
MOST LIKELY TIME FOR FRONT TO LIFT BACK NORTH APPEARS TO BE SAT
NIGHT AND THIS CORRESPONDS WITH HIGHER CHANCE POPS. OVERALL POP
FORECAST SIDES MORE WITH THE MAV AS OPPOSED TO THE WETTER MET.
SOME AREAS WILL SEE RISING TEMPS OVERNIGHT SAT NIGHT.

FRONT SHOULD DROP BACK SOUTH EARLY NEXT WEEK FOR INCREASING RAIN
CHANCES SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY. 12Z MODELS HAVE SLOWED THE FRONTAL
PASSAGE DOWN FROM PREVIOUS RUNS FAVORING MONDAY AS THE WET DAY.
THERE IS STILL POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AS FORECAST PRECIP
H2O VALUES ARE OVER 1.5 INCHES BY THEN AND UPPER FLOW GENERALLY
PARALLEL TO SLOW MOVING BOUNDARY. HAVE GONE WITH HIGHER POPS AND
TRENDED QPF FORECAST HIGHER THAN PREVIOUS...STILL IMPOSSIBLE TO
PIN DOWN WHERE HEAVIEST RAIN WOULD OCCUR.

LOTS OF UNCERTAINTY WITH EVOLUTION OF PATTERN LATE IN THE
PERIOD...WITH SOME SIGNAL AT LEAST OF A STRONGER UPPER SYSTEM
APPROACHING WED OR THU WITH FRONT LIFTING BACK NORTH. DID NOT
DEPART SIGNIFICANTLY FROM 00Z MEX GUIDANCE WHICH KEEPS LOW CHANCES
OF PRECIP BOTH WED AND THU. 12Z ECMWF LOOKS MUCH WETTER DURING
THIS TIME HOWEVER.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TUL   43  58  41  63 /  30  10  10  10
FSM   53  62  44  61 /  60  20  40  30
MLC   49  60  46  64 /  30  10  30  20
BVO   41  57  40  62 /  20  10  10  10
FYV   43  55  38  58 /  70  20  30  30
BYV   41  52  38  54 /  70  20  30  30
MKO   46  60  43  63 /  60  10  30  20
MIO   40  55  38  56 /  50  10  10  20
F10   46  60  42  64 /  30  10  20  20
HHW   60  63  49  68 /  20  30  40  20

&&

.TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...NONE.
AR...NONE.
&&

SHORT TERM...23
LONG TERM....14

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 27, 4:17 PM CST, 1 hour 37 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
517 PM CDT THU MAR 27 2008

OKZ066-272245-
OKMULGEE OK-
517 PM CDT THU MAR 27 2008

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 545 PM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
     NORTHERN OKMULGEE

AT 517 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHWEST OKMULGEE COUNTY...MOVING EAST AT 30
MPH. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS NEAR BEGGS.  SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL
BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...OKMULGEE...PRESTON...BEGGS AND
BALD HILL.

THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO
40 MPH. RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE THE
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS UPGRADED TO A WARNING.

LAT...LON 3580 9575 3574 9577 3573 9574 3563 9571
      3560 9618 3580 9618 3586 9581 3585 9577
TIME...MOT...LOC 2217Z 260DEG 28KT 3572 9608

Local storm report, Mar 27, 5:14 PM CST, 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
614 PM CDT THU MAR 27 2008

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

0612 PM     HAIL             4 E MORRIS              35.61N 95.79W
03/27/2008  E1.75 INCH       OKMULGEE           OK   TRAINED SPOTTER

            QUARTER TO GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 4 TO 5 MILES EAST OF MORRIS
            ON HIGHWAY 62.

&&

MEP

Local storm report, Mar 27, 5:22 PM CST, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
622 PM CDT THU MAR 27 2008

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

0621 PM     HAIL             BOYNTON                 35.65N 95.66W
03/27/2008  E0.75 INCH       MUSKOGEE           OK   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

MEP

Local storm report, Mar 27, 5:31 PM CST, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
631 PM CDT THU MAR 27 2008

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

0530 PM     HAIL             HECTORVILLE             35.84N 95.93W
03/27/2008  E0.75 INCH       OKMULGEE           OK   EMERGENCY MNGR

0530 PM     HAIL             4 S HECTORVILLE         35.78N 95.93W
03/27/2008  E1.00 INCH       OKMULGEE           OK   EMERGENCY MNGR

            QUARTER SIZE HAIL 4 MILE SOUTH OF HECTORVILLE ON BIXBY
            ROAD

0536 PM     HAIL             N OKMULGEE              35.62N 95.96W
03/27/2008  E0.88 INCH       OKMULGEE           OK   BROADCAST MEDIA

            NICKEL SIZE HAIL IN NORTH OKMULGEE ON HIGHWAY 75

0545 PM     HAIL             2 N MORRIS              35.64N 95.86W
03/27/2008  E1.75 INCH       OKMULGEE           OK   PUBLIC

0545 PM     HAIL             3 N MORRIS              35.65N 95.86W
03/27/2008  E1.75 INCH       OKMULGEE           OK   BROADCAST MEDIA

0612 PM     DENSE FOG        5 SSE GROVE             36.53N 94.73W
03/27/2008                   DELAWARE           OK   EMERGENCY MNGR

            PEA TO HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL SSE OF GROVE

&&

DMJ

Local storm report, Mar 27, 5:44 PM CST, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
644 PM CDT THU MAR 27 2008

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

0630 PM     HAIL             2 S BOYNTON             35.62N 95.66W
03/27/2008  E1.75 INCH       MUSKOGEE           OK   TRAINED SPOTTER

            QUARTER TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL 2 MILES SOUTH OF BOYNTON
            ON HIGHWAY 62

0632 PM     TORNADO          1 N COUNCIL HILL        35.57N 95.65W
03/27/2008                   MUSKOGEE           OK   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TRAINED SPOTTERS REPORTED TORNADO 1 MILE NORTH OF COUNCIL
            HILL

&&

DMJ

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:52 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Benton

When: March 27, 5:54 PM CST
Where: Benton County, 3 mi W of Hiwasse
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 36.430, -94.384

Hail, Benton

When: March 27, 6:29 PM CST
Where: Benton County, Pea Ridge
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.450, -94.120

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, March 2008

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: 84436, 84437.