Showers and thunderstorms developed along and ahead of a strong cold front during the morning hours of October 15th. These storms developed in a very moist airmass with the storms producing copious amounts of rainfall along with some strong and damaging wind gusts.
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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 SHV wrote it up.
Showers and thunderstorms developed along and ahead of a strong cold front during the morning hours of October 15th. These storms developed in a very moist airmass with the storms producing copious amounts of rainfall along with some strong and damaging wind gusts. Trees were downed across some areas with other seeing excessive heavy rainfall that resulted in flash flooding across the region.
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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 14, 8:16 PM CST, 6 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 916 PM CDT WED OCT 14 2009 ...A QUICK UPDATE TO THE FORECAST WILL BE COMING... .DISCUSSION... A WARM FRONT CONTINUES MOVING NORTH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. A QUICK GLANCE AT MID-EVENING SURFACE OBSERVATIONS HAS THE FRONT STRETCHING FROM ARDMORE OKLAHOMA...EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARD YAZOO CITY MISSISSIPPI. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH HEADING OUR WAY. THIS FEATURE SHOULD ALLOW A COLD FRONT TO AFFECT OUR CORNER OF THE WORLD IN THE PRE-DAWN HOURS THURSDAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. AREAL COVERAGE OF PRECIPITATION SHOULD GRADUALLY DECREASE FROM THE NORTH AND WEST IN WAKE OF THE FRONT THURSDAY...BEFORE FINALLY ENDING FRIDAY MORNING. BOUNDARY LAYER WIND FIELDS WILL LIKELY START PARALLELING THE FRONT THURSDAY MORNING...WHICH SHOULD LEAD TO WEAKING LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE. RIGHT NOW...I BELIEVE ANY RISK FOR HEAVY RAINFALL/FLOODING WILL BE RATHER ISOLATED FOR THIS REASON. ANOTHER CONCERN FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WILL BE THE POSSIBILITY FOR DENSE FOG. OBSERVATIONS IN VICINITY OF THE WARM FRONT...IN CONJUNCTION WITH 11-3.9 MICRON INFRARED IMAGERY...SHOW WIDESPREAD LOW CEILINGS OF SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET. LOW VISIBILITIES DUE TO FOG...HOWEVER...REMAIN ON THE HIGH SIDE FOR THE TIME BEING. BIG QUESTION IS WHETHER PRECIPITATION WILL DEVELOP BEFORE WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG DEVELOPS. GIVEN CURRENT FORECAST BOUNDARY LAYER WIND SPEEDS AND PRECIPITATION DEVELOPMENT TIMES...I HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO ISSUE A DENSE FOG ADVISORY OR MENTION FOG IN THE FORECAST GRIDS/TEXT. I WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR...AND ANOTHER UPDATE COULD BE ISSUED PRIOR TO MIDNIGHT. MOST OF THE CHANGES FOR THIS UPDATE WERE MAINLY COSMETIC IN NATURE. I HAVE SIMPLIFIED WORDING IN THE TEXT PRODUCTS AND REMOVED ANY MENTION OF EVENING WORDING. OTHER SENSIBLE WEATHER ELEMENTS APPEARED TO BE IN DECENT SHAPE...WITH NO OTHER CHANGES MADE AT THIS TIME. ISC GRIDS HAVE BEEN SENT AND SHOULD BE POSTED TO THE INTERNET. AN UPDATED SUITE OF TEXT PRODUCTS WILL BE ISSUED SHORTLY. /21/ && .AVIATION... SURFACE OBSERVATIONS INDICATE THE FOUR STATE REGION IS ON SOUTH SIDE OF A STATIONARY FRONT WHICH STRETCHES JUST TO THE NORTH OF A DEQ TO ELD LINE. SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES OVC CONDITIONS WITH BASES LESS THAN 1KFT TO THE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20...WHILE CLOUDS HAVE BECOME SCT TO BKN TO THE SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE. WITH SEVERAL STATIONS ALREADY REPORTING NEAR SATURATION CONDITIONS...EXPECT THAT FOG AND DRIZZLE WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD...WITH ALL AIRPORTS DOWN TO 1/2SM TO 1SM BY 15/10Z. CEILINGS WILL FILL IN AND LOWER AS WELL...WITH CLOUD BASES FALLING TO THE 100 TO 500 FOOT RANGE. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE AFTER 15/15Z AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE REGION...BUT LOW CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO LINGER INTO THE EVENING FOR MOST LOCATIONS. EXPECT WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT TO BE FROM THE NORTH-NORTHWEST...WITH GUSTS OCCASSIONALLY AS HIGH AS 20KTS. /18/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 70 80 55 69 50 / 40 50 30 0 0 MLU 69 82 54 62 49 / 30 60 40 0 0 DEQ 63 69 47 66 45 / 70 40 10 0 0 TXK 68 73 50 66 47 / 60 50 10 0 0 ELD 66 76 50 63 47 / 60 60 20 0 0 TYR 70 77 53 71 52 / 40 30 20 0 0 GGG 69 78 54 71 51 / 40 30 20 0 0 LFK 72 88 57 74 54 / 20 30 30 10 0 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. LA...NONE. OK...NONE. TX...NONE. && PUBLIC FORECASTER... D. BUTTS AVIATION FORECASTER... FILLO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 1205 PM CDT WED OCT 14 2009 ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077- TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-151100- SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE- COLUMBIA-UNION AR-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN- UNION LA-DE SOTO-RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-SABINE LA- NATCHITOCHES-WINN-GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-MCCURTAIN-BOWIE- FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP-MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-UPSHUR-MARION-SMITH-GREGG- HARRISON-CHEROKEE-RUSK-PANOLA-NACOGDOCHES-SHELBY-ANGELINA- SAN AUGUSTINE-SABINE TX- 1205 PM CDT WED OCT 14 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA... NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...EAST TEXAS AND NORTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE FOUR STATE REGION THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR OF EAST TEXAS AND NORTH LOUISIANA. A WARM FRONT EXTENDING FROM NEAR TYLER TEXAS...INTO NORTHCENTRAL LOUISIANA...WILL MOVE SLOWLY NORTH THIS AFTERNOON...WITH AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...HEATING...AND THIS SURFACE BOUNDARY GENERATING ADDITIONAL SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH EARLY EVENING. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE...WHICH MAY PRODUCE MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING...POOR DRAINAGE AREAS...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF A NATCHITOCHES...TO WINNFIELD AND JENA LOUISIANA LINE. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REDEVELOP ACROSS NORTHEAST TEXAS...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS LATE TONIGHT...AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT THAT WILL APPROACH THE REGION FROM THE NORTHWEST. ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT...WITH MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS THE PRIMARY THREATS. BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL MAY ALSO ACCOMPANY THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATE TONIGHT...WHICH COULD LEAD TO MINOR FLOODING OVER ALREADY SATURATED GROUNDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... THE COLD FRONT WILL ENTER THE REGION FROM THE NORTHWEST THURSDAY...WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN TRAVERSING EAST SOUTHEAST ACROSS EAST TEXAS...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...AND NORTH LOUISIANA AHEAD OF THE FRONT. ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY...WITH STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL THE MAIN THREATS. BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AS WELL...WHICH COULD PRODUCE ADDITIONAL FLOODING OVER ALREADY SATURATED GROUNDS. GIVEN THE EXTENSIVE FLOODING SEEN OVER MUCH OF THE AREA TUESDAY...STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT CONCERNING THIS SYSTEM. AFTERWORDS...MUCH COOLER AND DRIER AIR WILL SPILL SOUTHWARD BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH DRY CONDITIONS PERSISTING THIS WEEKEND THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGERS...STORM SPOTTER NETWORKS...AND HAM RADIO OPERATORS...MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON OVER THE SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF NORTHCENTRAL LOUISIANA. 15
The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 158 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:30 UTC.
1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorms produced a lightning strike that hit a barn in Valliant, Oklahoma sparking a fire.
Several large oak...walnut and pecan trees were blown down. Damage was also reported to two large horse trailers.
A funnel cloud was spotted south of Idabel, Oklahoma by amateur ham radio spotters.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 197480, 197481, 197479.