A strong upper level disturbance moved through the Mid-South during the evening hours of March 10th, 2010. 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.
A strong upper level disturbance moved through the Mid-South during the evening hours of March 10th, 2010. Showers and thunderstorms developed in association with the disturbance. Some of the storms became severe and produced large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding. The showers and thunderstorms continued into the early morning hours of March 11th.
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 Mar 10, 6:14 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 614 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010 .UPDATE... UPDATED TO ADD 00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 552 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010/ UPDATE... FORECAST WAS UPDATED TO INCREASE POPS THIS EVENING...BETWEEN 9 PM AND MIDNIGHT... AND TO BRING UP SEVERE WORDING INTO THE MID TO LATE EVENING OVER AREAS TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF MEMPHIS. 18Z NAM HAS HANDLED THE CONVECTIVE INITIATION OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS POORLY. IT APPEARS THAT AT SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY MAY MAKE IT INTO EASTERN ARKANSAS BY MIDEVENING...BASED ON RADAR AND SATELLITE TRENDS. BESIDES THE ACTIVITY OVER CENTRAL AR... ANOTHER AREA OF CONCERN IN THE SHORT TERM IS SCATTERED ACTIVITY FORMING ALONG A WARM FRONT OVER NORTH MS. SEE SPC MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 170. MAIN CONVECTIVE LINE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLD FRONT WILL LIKELY REACH THE MS RIVER AFTER MIDNIGHT. THOUGH MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL BE HEALTHY AND SURFACE CONVERGE STRONG AND WELL ORGANIZED... MUCAPES SHOULD DECREASE BELOW 1000 J/KG. THIS MAY LESSEN HAIL THREAT DURING THE OVERNIGHT. PWB PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 302 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010/ DISCUSSION... SKIES ARE MOSTLY CLOUDY OVER EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES ELSEWHERE. TEMPERATURES ARE MAINLY IN THE 60S WHERE SKIES ARE MOSTLY CLOUDY WHILE TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE 70S WHERE SKIES ARE MOSTLY SUNNY. CURRENTLY THERE IS A FEW SHOWERS OVER MONROE COUNTY BUT REMAINDER OF FORECAST AREA REMAINS DRY. COLD FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL OKLAHOMA INTO SOUTHWEST TEXAS. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS FROM EXTREME EASTERN OKLAHOMA INTO NORTHEAST TEXAS. A FEW OF STORMS IN NORTHEAST TEXAS ARE PRODUCING LARGE HAIL. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA LATE TONIGHT WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREATS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THIS ACTIVITY WILL MOVE FAIRLY QUICKLY THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA AND SHOULD BE DONE BEFORE THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE COLD FRONT WILL BE EAST OF THE REGION BY THURSDAY NIGHT BRINGING SOMEWHAT COOLER AIR INTO THE FORECAST AREA. WHILE THE COLD FRONT SHOULD BE OUT OF THE AREA BY THURSDAY NIGHT... THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL BE OVER NORTHWEST MISSOURI WHICH WOULD PROVIDE SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER THE REGION. THE UPPER LOW WILL SLOWLY HOVER OVER PARTS OF MISSOURI FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT KEEPING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AROUND. THE UPPER LOW BEGINS TO MOVE OUT OF THE REGION ON SATURDAY SO A CHANCE OF RAIN WILL CONTINUE. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY BUILD INTO THE REGION BEGINNING SATURDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING INTO MONDAY BRINGING DRY WEATHER WITH TEMPERATURES A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL. HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS WELL KEEPING DRY WEATHER OVER THE FORECAST AREA WITH TEMPERATURES REMAINING A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. ARS && .AVIATION... 00Z TAF CYCLE A WARM FRONT LOCATED ACROSS NORTH/CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI WILL PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AT TUP OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER ARKANSAS/LOUISIANA MAY ARRIVE EARLIER AT MEM/JBR THAN PREVIOUS FORECAST AND MOVED UP TIMING OF ARRIVAL OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE AS THEY PASS THROUGH THE AREA. SKIES WILL CLEAR AFTER PASSAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH WINDS VEERING SOUTHWEST BY THURSDAY MORNING. CJC && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 60 73 49 60 / 90 10 40 40 MKL 59 74 46 62 / 90 50 40 40 JBR 54 69 43 59 / 90 10 40 40 TUP 60 74 49 66 / 90 20 40 40 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 318 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-112330- 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- 318 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE TONIGHT ACROSS THE ENTIRE MID SOUTH. THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL OCCUR WEST OF A LINE FROM CARUTHERSVILLE MISSOURI TO MEMPHIS TENNESSEE TO CHARLESTON MISSISSIPPI BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 3 AM. THE SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL WILL INCREASE EAST OF THIS LINE AFTER 3 AM CST AND CONTINUE INTO THE MORNING HOURS OF THURSDAY. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS ALSO POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY STRONG TO ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY MORNING ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE MID SOUTH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATE TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 139 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:20 UTC.
5 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Quarter size hail fell in Powhatan and Black Rock. The hail covered the ground in Black Rock.
Golf ball size hail covered the ground south of Pocahontas.
Straight line winds damaged a camper, a shed, and several vehicles in Pocahontas.
Penny size hail fell north of Ravenden.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding northwest of Pocahontas. Low water crossings along Country Club Road were impassable as a result.
Straight line winds caused damage in downtown Piggott. Most of the damage occurred along South Front Street where a portion of the roof of the former Mohawk Pizza building was lifted from the structure and propelled across the tops of several nearby businesses. The mass of tin roofing and rafters was blown loose and across the top of the former cable office at the corner of South Front and West Court. The section then blew across the street and destroyed a power pole. The roof section then blew up and over the buildings in the next block north. Damage was sustained to the roofs of the BRAD Food Pantry, Front Street Pizza, Edmunds Heating and Cooling and Apex Glass. The twisted mass of roofing materials then came to rest at the corner of South Front and West Main streets. A storage barn was also destroyed at the rear of the city-owned building that formerly housed Print City. The roof of the local Subway was also heavily damaged. There was also damage to the roof of an unoccupied house on South Garfield. Around Piggott several privacy fences were blown down while siding and minor roof damage was common.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, March 2010
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: 220466, 220468, 220467, 220470, 220472, 220473, 220477, 221125.