A few severe thunderstorms occurred across northwest Arkansas during the evening hours of the 7th.
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 TSA wrote it up.
A few severe thunderstorms occurred across northwest Arkansas during the evening hours of the 7th.
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 May 7, 6:50 PM CST, 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
750 PM CDT WED MAY 7 2008
.MESOSCALE UPDATE...
VERY PERSISTENT LOW-LEVEL MESOCYCLONES ARE
OCCURRING NOW ALONG THE LINE OF STORMS
MOVING ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA. GIVEN THE
LOW LIFTING CONDENSATION LEVELS AND INCREASING
LOW-LEVEL SHEARS...IT IS LIKELY THAT QUICK SPIN-UP
TORNADOES WILL OCCUR WITH ONE OR MORE OF THE
MESOCYCLONES.
A VERY PERSISTENT MESOCYCLONE TRACKED ACROSS
THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF THE TULSA METRO AREA
WITH 0 TO 1 KM SHEAR VALUES OF 25 TO 30 KNOTS.
THAT PORTION OF THE LINE MOVING ACROSS SOUTHEAST
OKLAHOMA INTO WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS IS NOW
MOVING INTO SHEAR VALUES OF 35 TO 45 KNOTS WHICH
INCREASES THE CONCERN THAT TORNADOES WILL OCCUR WITH
THIS LINE.
&&
.TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 AM THURSDAY FOR OKZ054-OKZ055-OKZ056-
OKZ057-OKZ058-OKZ062-OKZ063.
AR...NONE.
&&
SHORT TERM...08
LONG TERM....99HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 513 PM CDT WED MAY 7 2008 ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-081000- ADAIR OK-BENTON AR-CARROLL AR-CHEROKEE OK-CHOCTAW OK-CRAIG OK- CRAWFORD AR-CREEK OK-DELAWARE OK-FRANKLIN AR-HASKELL OK-LATIMER OK- LE FLORE OK-MADISON AR-MAYES OK-MCINTOSH OK-MUSKOGEE OK-NOWATA OK- OKFUSKEE OK-OKMULGEE OK-OSAGE OK-OTTAWA OK-PAWNEE OK-PITTSBURG OK- PUSHMATAHA OK-ROGERS OK-SEBASTIAN AR-SEQUOYAH OK-TULSA OK-WAGONER OK- WASHINGTON OK-WASHINGTON AR- 513 PM CDT WED MAY 7 2008 ...SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ALONG WITH POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES AND FLASH FLOODING... THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. TORNADO. RISK...SIGNIFICANT. AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. ONSET...ONGOING. AREA AT GREATEST RISK...SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MCALESTER TO FORT SMITH. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. RISK...SIGNIFICANT. AREA...ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. ONSET...ONGOING. AREA AT GREATEST RISK...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. FLASH FLOOD. RISK...ELEVATED. AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. ONSET...ONGOING. AREA AT GREATEST RISK...NORTH OF HIGHWAY 412. HEAVY RAIN. RISK...SIGNIFICANT. AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. ONSET...ONGOING. AREA AT GREATEST RISK...AREAS NEAR THE KANSAS BORDER. DISCUSSION... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AND NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS NEAR THE DRY LINE LOCATED NEAR INTERSTATE 35 IN TEXAS. AS THESE STORMS MOVE EAST THEY WILL ENCOUNTER INCREASINGLY FAVORABLE WIND SHEAR TO PRODUCE ROTATING SUPERCELLS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES...ALONG WITH VERY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. ANY STORMS THAT MOVE TO THE RIGHT OF THE MEAN WIND FLOW STAND THE BEST CHANCE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THESE STORMS WILL EXPAND INTO A LINE WITH EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS AS THEY MOVE EAST INTO FAR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. ELSEWHERE...THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE NEAR THE UPPER LOW WHICH IS EXPECTED TO MOVE FROM SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA THROUGH EASTERN OKLAHOMA LATER THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE IN THE FORM OF LOW-TOPPED SUPERCELLS NEAR THE CORE OF THE UPPER LOW...AND WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND POSE A SLIM TORNADO THREAT. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAIN FROM THIS MORNINGS THUNDERSTORMS...AND MORE HEAVY RAIN...PRIMARILY NORTH OF THE UPPER LOW TRACK WILL PRESENT A THREAT OF FLOODING RAIN...PARTICULARLY NORTH OF STATE HIGHWAY 412. SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED OVER MUCH OF THE AREA... PARTICULARLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40 DURING THE EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THURSDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. FRIDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. SATURDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. SUNDAY...NO HAZARDS. MONDAY...NO HAZARDS. TUESDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. EXTENDED DISCUSSION... A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH TODAYS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL REMAIN IN OUR AREA THE NEXT FEW DAYS KEEPING THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE WITH AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM LATE SATURDAY OR SATURDAY NIGHT...IF SUFFICIENT MOISTURE CAN RETURN AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM. ANOTHER FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING STATEMENT... CONTINUE TO MONITOR LATER FORECASTS. WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA CONTAINS ADDITIONAL TABULAR AND GRAPHICAL INFORMATION.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
718 PM CDT WED MAY 07 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0717 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 N BIXBY 35.97N 95.88W
05/07/2008 TULSA OK BROADCAST MEDIA
TREE DAMAGE NEAR 101ST AND MEMORIAL
&&
SAAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
724 PM CDT WED MAY 07 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0722 PM TSTM WND GST 2 SW BROKEN ARROW 36.03N 95.82W
05/07/2008 E60 MPH TULSA OK BROADCAST MEDIA
WIND GUSTS AND TREE DAMAGE BEING REPORTED NEAR 111TH AND
GARNETT
&&
SAASPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
725 PM CDT WED MAY 7 2008
OKZ049-053-080100-
CHOCTAW OK-PUSHMATAHA OK-
725 PM CDT WED MAY 7 2008
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
EASTERN CHOCTAW AND SOUTHERN PUSHMATAHA
AT 725 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES
NORTH OF FALLON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 75 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT
WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...HUGO...SAWYER...FORT
TOWSON...SWINK...MESSER...SOBOL...FALLON...SPEER...APPLE...CORINNE...
RATTAN AND OLETA.
THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO
50 MPH. RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE THE
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS UPGRADED TO A WARNING.
LAT...LON 3414 9558 3442 9504 3425 9503 3423 9505
3422 9512 3416 9513 3415 9514 3399 9514
3391 9546
TIME...MOT...LOC 0025Z 243DEG 66KT 3405 9539PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
754 PM CDT WED MAY 07 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0729 PM TSTM WND DMG BROKEN ARROW 36.05N 95.79W
05/07/2008 TULSA OK BROADCAST MEDIA
POWER POLES BROKEN AND TREE DAMAGE NEAR RHEMA BIBLE
COLLEGE.
&&
SAAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
805 PM CDT WED MAY 07 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0804 PM TSTM WND GST PANAMA 35.17N 94.67W
05/07/2008 E60 MPH LE FLORE OK EMERGENCY MNGR
&&
SAAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
820 PM CDT WED MAY 07 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0816 PM TSTM WND GST 2 W TAHLEQUAH 35.92N 95.01W
05/07/2008 M60 MPH CHEROKEE OK AMATEUR RADIO
&&
SAAThe Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:36 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down power lines.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs. Some of the tree limbs fell on roads.
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: 103625, 103628.