A low pressure system moved northeast out of the Southern Plains. A MCS developed in association with the low and tracked across Northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel and Northwest Tennessee.
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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.
A low pressure system moved northeast out of the Southern Plains. A MCS developed in association with the low and tracked across Northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel and Northwest Tennessee. Storms associated with the MCS produced large hail, damaging winds and flash flooding.
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 8, 8:43 AM CST, 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 943 AM CDT FRI MAY 8 2009 .DISCUSSION... LARGE MCS IS APPROACHING THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING. TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 267 IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR ROUGHLY THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. HAVE UPDATED FORECAST TO INCLUDE TORNADO WATCH AND PUT MENTION OF POSSIBLE SEVERE STORMS IN THE AREA UNDER THE WATCH. REMAINDER OF FORECAST LOOKS FINE FOR NOW. ARS && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 702 AM CDT FRI MAY 8 2009/ UPDATE... UPDATED TO ADD 12Z AVIATION DISCUSSION. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 425 AM CDT FRI MAY 8 2009/ DISCUSSION... A WET WEEKEND APPEARS IN STORE THE MIDSOUTH AS THE FORECAST AREA REMAINS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO STRONG WESTERLIES ALOFT AND A SURFACE FRONT TO OUR NORTH... AND A HUMID UNSTABLE GULF AIRMASS TO THE SOUTH. THIS MORNING/S SAW A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS DROPPING EAST/SOUTHEAST THROUGH MO...SOUTHERN IL AND WESTERN KY. ANOTHER MCS WAS NOTED OVER CENTRAL KS. BOTH SYSTEMS WERE OCCURRING ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF A BROAD...FLAT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AND WERE FED BY MOIST LOW LEVEL JETS. KTLX RADAR FROM CENTRAL OK SHOWED A 65KT LOW LEVEL JET FEEDING INTO THE KS MCS. EXPECT SOME CONVECTIVELY GENERATED BOUNDARIES TO ALREADY BE IN PLACE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40 THIS AFTERNOON...SERVING AS A FOCUS FOR CONVECTION. WILL CARRY HIGHEST POPS OVER THESE AREAS. THE TREND THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL BE A GRADUAL SUPPRESSION OF THE SUBTROPICAL UPPER LEVEL RIDGE...A RESULT OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY... SOME OF IT CONVECTIVELY ENHANCED...DIVING SOUTHEAST FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THE DIFFUSE SURFACE COLD FRONT THAT WAS OVER SOUTHERN MO WILL DROP INTO THE MIDSOUTH LATE TONIGHT. ANY FLASH FLOOD THREAT WILL LIKELY HOLD OFF UNTIL THIS MAIN FRONT DROPS INTO THE MIDSOUTH. BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON... THE FRONT SHOULD DROP SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40...WITH BEST RAIN AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CHANCES OVER EAST CENTRAL AR AND NORTH MS SATURDAY AFTERNOON. SUNDAY AND MONDAY SHOULD SEE A COLD FRONT STALLING OUT SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA...WITH COOLER AND MORE STABLE CONTINENTAL AIR FILTERING INTO THE MIDSOUTH. THE MIDDLE PART OF THE WEEK WILL SEE AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE LIFT EAST FROM THE PLAINS INTO THE MS RIVER VALLEY...WITH LOW LEVEL RETURN FLOW AND FEWER CLOUDS RESULTING IN WARMER TEMPS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. BOTH GFS AND ECMWF BRING A COLD FRONT INTO THE MIDSOUTH THURSDAY AFTERNOON...WHICH WILL REPRESENT THE NEXT APPRECIABLE RAIN CHANCE FOR THE MIDSOUTH. PWB AVIATION... 12Z TAFS VFR CEILINGS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO FILL IN BETWEEN 12-14Z AS 850 MB LOW LEVEL JET CONTINUES TO TRANSPORT MOISTURE UP INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY...PRODUCING MVFR CEILINGS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE 12Z TAF PERIOD. MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM OVER SOUTHWEST MISSOURI EXPECTED TO DIVE SOUTHEAST INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI/TENNESSEE VALLEY TODAY PRODUCING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AT TAF SITES...ESPECIALLY JBR/MKL...AND MEM. TRIED TO TIME BEST PROBABILITIES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WITH JBR BETWEEN 15-17Z...AND MEM/MKL BETWEEN 16-18Z. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT AS COLD FRONT DROPS SOUTH ACROSS TAF SITES. WINDS WILL REMAIN PREDOMINANTLY FROM THE SOUTH AROUND 12-14KTS AND VEERING NORTHWEST LATE TONIGHT AT JBR. CJC && .AVIATION... && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 86 66 72 56 / 40 60 60 50 MKL 85 64 70 56 / 70 60 60 40 JBR 81 62 69 55 / 70 70 50 40 TUP 89 67 80 60 / 30 40 50 40 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 835 AM CDT FRI MAY 8 2009 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-091100- 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- 835 AM CDT FRI MAY 8 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALL OF THE MIDSOUTH TODAY. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. A COLD FRONT OVER THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY WILL MOVE INTO THE MIDSOUTH TONIGHT...SERVING AS A FOCUS FOR CONTINUED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. SOME THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SATURDAY WILL SEE A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED OVER ANY PART OF THE MIDSOUTH TODAY AND TONIGHT.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 143 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:26 UTC.
4 flash flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds blew trees down in the city limits of Pocahontas. One tree fell on a house.
Winds were estimated at 60 mph in Rector.
Winds were estimated at 60 mph 5 miles northeast of Paragould.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding around portions of Randolph County. Highway 115 out of Maynard was flooded making it impassable. Flood waters approached a few homes. In addition, Engleberg Road at the Forshe River Road was closed due to flooding.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in and around Corning. A couple of city streets were flooded as a result.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in and around Blytheville. Highway 181 and 151 was impassable due to flood water.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding around portions of Craighead County. Streets were flooded in Jonesboro. In addition, County Road 755 near Philadelphia was impassable due to flood waters.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, May 2009
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: 173052, 173053, 173068, 173071, 173073, 173081, 176108, 173090, 173092.