An upper level disturbance moved into East Arkansas during the late evening hours of May 25, 2008. Showers and thunderstorms developed in association with the 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 East Arkansas during the late evening hours of May 25, 2008. Showers and thunderstorms developed in association with the disturbance. Some storms became severe and produced 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 May 25, 8:49 PM CST, 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 949 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008 .UPDATE... MUGGY NIGHT OCCURRING ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH THIS EVENING. CURRENT TEMPERATURES ARE STILL IN THE UPPER 70S TO MID 80S WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER 70S. A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS IS CURRENTLY MOVING INTO PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. THE LINE CONTINUES TO HOLD STEADY IN REGARDS TO STRENGTH ATTM. ALTHOUGH EXPECT THE LINE TO BEGIN TO WEAKEN AS IT PUSHES EAST IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. WILL LIKELY NEED TO UPDATE TO BUMP LOWS UP SLIGHTLY DUE CLOUD COVER FROM STORMS AND POSSIBLE MENTION FOG IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS DUE TO RAINFALL. UPDATE WILL BE OUT SHORTLY. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 239 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008/ DISCUSSION... SKIES ARE MOSTLY SUNNY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON WHICH HAS ALLOWED TEMPERATURES TO WARM INTO THE MID 80S TO LOWER 90S. NO THUNDERSTORMS ARE NEAR THE FORECAST AREA AT THIS TIME AND IT APPEARS THAT THUNDERSTORMS WILL NOT DEVELOP BY THIS EVENING SO HAVE A DRY FORECAST FOR TONIGHT. COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN TO APPROACH THE FORECAST AREA ON MONDAY WHICH WILL BRING SOME SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FOR MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. THE FRONT WILL ENTER THE FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY SO THE CHANCE OF RAIN WILL BE HIGHER FOR TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. BY WEDNESDAY THE FRONT MOVES SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA AND WEAKENS BUT THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE DAY. HIGH PRESSURE THEN TAKES OVER AND KEEPS THINGS DRY FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL TRY TO MOVE INTO THE REGION NEXT SUNDAY SO THERE MAY BE SOME THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF THE FRONT. && && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. && KRM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 655 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 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>092-270200- 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- 655 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING AND EARLY MORNING HOURS ACROSS NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE MIDSOUTH... MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM DRESDEN TENNESSEE TO WYNNE ARKANSAS. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS THAT DEVELOPS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF SPOTTERS ACROSS NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...AND NORTHWEST TENNESSEE MAY BE NEEDED IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS LATER THIS EVENING. TAB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 933 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008 ARZ017-260300- LAWRENCE AR- 933 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... LAWRENCE COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF STRAWBERRY AT 933 PM CDT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 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 LAWRENCE COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF BLACK ROCK... HOXIE AND WALNUT RIDGE...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.. .A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ALERT AREA.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:05 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds knocked down power lines in Walnut Ridge.
Straight line winds knocked down trees in Bono.
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, May 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: 110844, 110845.