Scattered severe storms produced damaging winds and spotty flash flooding across northern and central Arkansas early on the 27th.
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.
Scattered severe storms produced damaging winds and spotty flash flooding across northern and central Arkansas early on the 27th.
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 May 26, 11:18 PM CST, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1218 AM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 .AVIATION... CONVECTION CONTINUES OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT THIS HOUR BUT A SLOW DECREASE IN INTENSITY AND COVERAGE HAS BEEN NOTED. A MORE SIGNIFICANT AREA OF CONVECTION CONTINUES OVER NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND IS PROPAGATING EASTWARD. THIS ACTIVITY MAY EFFECT NORTHERN ARKANSAS LATER THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE AN ACTIVE AND WELL DEFINED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO FAR NORTHERN ARKANSAS LATE IN THE PERIOD FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORMS. VFR TO OCCASIONAL MVFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. TERMINALS OUT SHORTLY. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 852 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008/ UPDATE... SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS BECAME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG A WEAK BOUNDARY SLOWLY MOVING SOUTH THROUGH NORTH AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS. HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS WERE NOTED. SEVERE ACTIVITY HAS WEAKENED WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING AND OUTFLOW BOUNDARY OUTRUNNING THE STORMS. RAIN CHANCES WILL DIMINISH THE REST OF THE EVENING BUT WILL KEEP A CHANCE THROUGH THE MORNING WITH ANTICIPATION OF AN MCS MOVING ACROSS MAINLY NORTH AND PARTS OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWERED MIN TEMPERATURES A BIT AS RAIN COOLED AIR HAS DROPPED TEMPERATURES AND TEMPERATURES ARE GENERALLY COOLER NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 640 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008/ AVIATION... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THIS PRECIPTATION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS REMAINS IN THE FORECAST OVERNIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 304 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT OBSERVATIONS FROM LOCAL RADARS HAVE INDICATED A SLOW INCREASE IN COVERAGE OF WEAK CONVECTION ACROSS ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE PAST HOUR. A MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE...NOW ACROSS THE RED RIVER REGION...APPEARS TO BE AIDING THIS ACTIVITY. 19Z OBJECTIVE SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATES A WEAK...CONVECTIVELY INDUCED BOUNDARY ACROSS EXTREME NORTH SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. THIS FEATURE MAY BE A FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL CONVECTION LATE THIS AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH CURRENTLY...FORCING ALONG THIS FEATURE IS VERY WEAK. SEVERAL OPERATIONAL SHORT TERM MODEL RUNS HAVE INDICATED THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE COMPLEX TO FORM OVERNIGHT...MOST LIKELY ACROSS SOUTHERN KANSAS AND NORTHERN OKLAHOMA. FORECAST STORM MOTION INDICATES THAT THIS ACTIVITY WOULD MOVE EAST-SOUTHEAST...INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA LATE TONIGHT...AND EARLY TUESDAY. THE COVERAGE AND MAGNITUDE OF THIS COMPLEX AFFECTING THE REGION MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF CONVECTIVE OVERTURNING ACROSS THESE AREAS...THEREFORE WOULD AFFECT THE LOCAL CONVECTIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON. A WELL DEFINED FOLD FRONT...NOW ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS...WILL APPROACH THE FORECAST AREA EARLY WEDNESDAY...AND WILL PROMOTE ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY A FLAT RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD WITH A SOUTHERLY SURFACE FLOW IN PLACE. A SHORTWAVE WILL BE PUSHING THROUGH THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTRY IN THE SATURDAY-SUNDAY TIME FRAME. THE 06Z GFS AND 00Z ECMWF RUNS WERE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT ON BRINGING THE SHORTWAVE ACROSS THE NRN PART OF THE CWA LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING...BUT THE 12Z GFS HAS SPED THINGS UP AND NOW BRINGS THE SHORTWAVE ACROSS DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY. AT THE SFC...A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO THE NRN HALF OF THE CWA ...STALL OUT...AND EFFECTIVELY DISSIPATE AS IT STARTS TO PUSH BACK NORTHWARD AGAIN. WILL GO AHEAD AND TREND THE FORECAST TO A BLEND OF THE SLOWER 06Z GFS AND THE SOMEWHAT FASTER 12Z GFS...BRINIGNG A SHORTWAVE ACROSS NRN ARKANSAS ON SATURDAY WITH A SFC FRONT STALLING OUT ACROSS THE NRN HALF OF THE CWA LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. THIS WILL BRING SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPS TO THE NRN HALF OF THE CWA ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. WILL KEEP SLGHT CHC POPS ACROSS THE AREA DURING THAT TIME FRAME. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 65 81 59 83 / 50 30 10 10 CAMDEN AR 68 87 65 85 / 40 50 30 20 HARRISON AR 62 76 56 81 / 50 30 10 10 HOT SPRINGS AR 67 83 62 84 / 40 40 20 10 LITTLE ROCK AR 69 84 63 84 / 40 40 20 10 MONTICELLO AR 69 87 66 86 / 40 40 30 20 MOUNT IDA AR 66 82 61 84 / 40 40 20 10 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 62 76 56 81 / 50 30 10 10 NEWPORT AR 67 82 61 83 / 50 30 10 10 PINE BLUFF AR 70 86 65 85 / 40 40 20 20 RUSSELLVILLE AR 66 81 60 83 / 50 40 20 10 SEARCY AR 67 83 62 84 / 40 30 20 10 STUTTGART AR 70 85 65 85 / 40 40 20 10 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...32 / LONG TERM...56 AVIATION...56
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1055 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-271000- 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- 1055 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...OVERNIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT MAINLY CENTRAL AND SOUTH. SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE IN THE FORECAST FROM TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. TUESDAY WILL SEE MORE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND STORMS AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES OUR FORECAST AREA. THERE WILL EXIST THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE STORMS ALMOST STATEWIDE ON TUESDAY. SOME OF THE STORMS ON TUESDAY MAY DROP HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN SOME SPOTS...BUT THIS WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED MORE CLOSELY AS WE GET CLOSER IN TIME. DRY WEATHER WILL RETURN FROM THURSDAY ONWARD UNTIL MOST OF SATURDAY. THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS NORTH SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE REQUIRED ACROSS THE AREA...DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 55/51
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1152 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008 ARZ040-041-270535- MONTGOMERY-POLK- 1152 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR MONTGOMERY AND POLK COUNTIES UNTIL 1230 AM CDT... AT 1148 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 15 MILES NORTH OF DIERKS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. FREQUENT...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. 56
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:05 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and power lines were down between the junction of Arkansas Highway 84 and Southwest Trail to Possum Trot Road.
Flash flooding occurred in several areas across the city, causing motorists to become stranded.
A number of streets were flooded in Russellville.
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: 106585, 106588, 106584.