A cold front pushed into Arkansas on the 14th. As the front encountered unstable air over the state, severe thunderstorms were triggered in the western and northern sections during the afternoon and evening.
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.
A cold front pushed into Arkansas on the 14th. As the front encountered unstable air over the state, severe thunderstorms were triggered in the western and northern sections during the afternoon and evening. A few of the storms continued into the early morning hours of the 15h.
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 14, 10:37 AM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1137 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 .UPDATE... TWEAKED THE FCST THIS MORNING IN AN ATTEMPT TO BETTER HANDLE ONGOING WX. SHRA AND TSRA OVER NW AR WILL LIKELY LAY OUT ANOTHER OUTFLOW BNDRY WHICH WILL REINFORCE AND AID IN SOUTHWARD MOVEMENT OF CURRENT FNTL BNDRY WHICH IS LOCATED ROUGHLY FROM SEARCY TO RUSSELLVILLE ATTM. AS THIS BNDRY FOCUSES LOW LVL MSTR CONVERGENCE...EXPECT MODERATE CAPE VALUES TO BE REALIZED WITH 12Z KLZK SOUNDING INDICATING NEARLY 3000 J/KG MLCAPES POSSIBLE BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON. HAVE THEREFORE ADJUSTED WX GRIDS TO USE SCATTERED WORDING AS CAP WILL LIKELY BE TOO WEAK TO HOLD. THOUGH MID AND UPR FORCING WILL BE WEAK...A MARGINAL SVR WX THREAT MAY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AS 35-40 KTS OF SWLY MID LEVEL FLOW WILL PROMOTE 30-40 KTS OF 0-6KM SHEAR ALLOWING FOR SOME STORM ORGANIZATION GIVEN THE AFOREMENTIONED MODERATE INSTABILITY. THE BEST CORRIDOR FOR POSSIBLE SVR WX WILL BE ALONG AND ABOUT 75 MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM HOT SPRINGS TO MEMPHIS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 636 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010/ AVIATION... FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN SITUATED FROM NE ARKANSAS TO JUST SOUTH OF FORT SMITH FOR MUCH OF TODAY. NORTH OF THIS BOUNDARY LIFR CONDITIONS AT KHRO AND KBPK WILL CONTINUE THROUGH LATE MORNING BEFORE LIFTING TO LOW-END MVFR LEVELS AT BEST...THOUGH CIGS ARE NOT LIKELY TO RISE MUCH ABOVE 1000 FT TODAY. LIKEWISE KHRO AND KBPK WILL HOLD ON TO A NE WIND THROUGHOUT THE DAY. SOUTH OF THE FRONT...MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TODAY EXCEPT FOR POSSIBLY MVFR VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AT KLIT AND KHOT THROUGH 15Z. OTHERWISE...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THROUGHOUT THE DAY FOR LOCATIONS AROUND OR NORTH OF THE FRONT. MVFR CONDITIONS AT KLIT AND KHOT ARE POSSIBLE IF STRONGER SHOWERS AND TSTMS AFFECT THE TERMINALS. EXPECT WINDS SOUTH OF THE FRONT WILL REMAIN SOUTHERLY. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 338 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT FORECAST WILL NOT CHANGE VERY MUCH TODAY VERSUS THE PAST FEW DAYS WITH A SLOW MOVING FRONTAL SYSTEM REMAINING THE PRIMARY CONCERN. ONCE AGAIN THE MODELS REMAIN IN DECENT AGREEMENT IN THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN BUT DIFFERENCES ARE EVIDENT IN THE TIMING AND STRENGTH OF THE INDIVIDUAL UPPER LEVEL IMPULSES KICKING OUT OF THE ADVANCING WESTERN TROUGH. STILL PREFER THE SLOWER ECMWF SOLUTION THIS MORNING WITH SOUTHEAST CONUS RIDGE CONTINUING TO SLOW DOWN THE OVERALL PROGRESSION OF THE ADVANCING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS THE COLD FRONT HAS FINALLY WORKED ITS WAY INTO THE FAR NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE WITH ROUGHLY A 10 DEGREE DROP IN BOTH TEMPS AND DEW POINTS BEHIND THE BOUNDARY. MOISTURE CHANNEL IMAGERY REVEALS THE OMNI PRESENT SOUTHEAST RIDGE HAS MOVED TO THE EAST TO OFF THE GEORGIA COAST WITH A LARGE POSITIVELY TILTED TROUGH OVER THE GREAT BASIN. MODELS REMAIN CONSISTENT IN WEAKENING THE SOUTHEAST RIDGE AS STRONG MID LEVEL IMPULSE OVER THE GREAT LAKES MOVES EAST. THE BREAK DOWN OF THE RIDGE WILL ALLOW THE FRONT TO SLOWLY PROGRESS TO THE SOUTHEAST AND BECOME QUASI STATIONARY ACROSS ROUGHLY THE CENTRAL PART THE STATE THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE WEEKEND. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND BEHIND THE BOUNDARY .AIDED BY WEAK UPPER IMPULSES IN THE BROAD SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT KICKING OUT OF THE WESTERN CONUS TROUGH. PATTERN BASICALLY REPEATS ITSELF ON SATURDAY WITH BOUNDARY IN ROUGHLY THE SAME POSITION WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING. SEVERE WEATHER PARAMETERS NOT IDEAL EITHER FRIDAY OR SATURDAY BUT ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN NOT BE EXCLUDED...ESPECIALLY DURING TIMES OF PEAK HEATING. WITH WESTERN CONUS RIDGE LIFTING OUT...WILL NEED TO INCREASE POPS IN THE SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT TIME FRAME. WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE FORECAST TO DEVELOP ALONG THE BOUNDARY SUNDAY AND TRACK THROUGH THE STATE DURING THE DAY WITH HIGH SCATTERED TO LIKELY POPS CONTINUING. WILL DECREASE POPS FROM SOUTHEAST TO NORTHEAST SUNDAY NIGHT/EARLY MONDAY AS THE SYSTEM PULLS OUT...FINALLY TAKING THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WITH IT. WITH PWATS IN EXCESS OF 1.5 INCHES THROUGH THE PERIOD...LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINS CAN NOT BE RULED OUT BUT WILL HOLD OFF ON ANY HIGHLIGHTS FOR NOW. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE TRICKY AND DEPENDENT UPON WHERE THE BOUNDARY ENDS UP BEFORE STALLING WITH ABOVE NORMAL READINGS TO THE SOUTH OF IT AND BELOW NORMAL TO THE NORTH. OVERALL THE MAV/MEX TRENDS/NUMBERS LOOK REASONABLE AND ARE GENERALLY ACCEPTED. LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ECMWF AND GFS SIMILAR IN THEIR SOLUTIONS. SURFACE RIDGE PATTERN WILL DOMINATE THE WEATHER PATTERN AND BRING MAINLY DRY WEATHER OVER ARKANSAS IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST. THE UPPER LOW AND TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN U.S. WILL CONTINUE TO PULL EAST...AS SOME WEAK UPPER RIDGING BUILDS INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN PLAINS. WEAK BOUNDARY OVER THE GULF STATES IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN WELL SOUTH OF THE AREA...AND NOT AFFECT CONDITIONS. LATE IN THE PERIOD RETURN FLOW TO THE PLAINS SEEN WITH SOME ISOLATED CONVECTION MAINLY OVER THE PLAINS. AT THIS TIME WILL KEEP THE EXTENDED DRY. TEMPS WILL BE COOL INITIALLY THEN A GRADUALLY WARMING TREND. && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...56 LONG TERM...59 AVIATION...64 UPDATE...63
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1130 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-151000- 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- 1130 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A FRONTAL BOUNDARY...SITUATED OVER NORTH ARKANSAS...IS FORECAST TO DRIFT SLOWLY SOUTHWARD LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE HEAT OF THE AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO THE THIS EVENING. SOME STRONG AND SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT...MAINLY OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS...ALTHOUGH AND ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THE OTHER CONCERN WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...ESPECIALLY FOR LOCATIONS JUST NORTH OF THE FRONT...WHERE SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A SLIGHT RISK OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS CONTINUES FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. THE COLD FRONT WILL BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY OVER THE WEEKEND ACROSS ARKANSAS. THE BOUNDARY WILL PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...RESULTING IN LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. THE MAIN THREAT OF A SEVERE STORM WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES WILL REMAIN LOW. THOSE AREAS THAT RECEIVE PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN MAY BECOME SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLASH FLOODING...AND AREA RESIDENTS SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS... STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. ON MONDAY...THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO DRIFT OUT OF ARKANSAS AS THE CHANCE OF RAIN GRADUALLY ENDS. HIGH PRESSURE WILL FILTER INTO THE AREA AND BRING DRIER AND COOLER WEATHER TO THE STATE. SOME UNCERTAINTY DOES EXIST WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE FRONT EARLY NEXT WEEK...AND A CHANCE OF RAIN MAY PERSIST A BIT MORE THAN ANTICIPATED. DRY WEATHER IS CURRENTLY EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY AND AGAIN ON SATURDAY. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 59/44
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1011 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ARZ003-141545- BOONE- 1011 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BOONE COUNTY UNTIL 1045 AM CDT... AT 1011 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR GREEN FOREST...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH...AND WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. AREAS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE OMAHA. 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. 44
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1037 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ARZ003-004-012-141635- BOONE-MARION-NEWTON- 1037 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BOONE...MARION AND NEWTON COUNTIES UNTIL 1135 AM CDT... AT 1037 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BERRYVILLE TO 11 MILES NORTH OF LOST VALLEY STATE PARK TO UPPER BUFFALO WILDERNESS AREA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. AREAS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE OMAHA...HARRISON...BERGMAN... ZINC...LEAD HILL...DIAMOND CITY AND PEEL. TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED MINOR FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ADVISED TO EXPECT REDUCED VISIBILITY DUE TO THE VERY HEAVY RAIN. 44
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1100 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ARZ012-021-141645- JOHNSON-NEWTON- 1100 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR JOHNSON AND NEWTON COUNTIES UNTIL 1145 AM CDT... AT 1100 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES WEST OF OZONE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. SMALL HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH...AND WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. AREAS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE DEVILS KNOB...NAIL...DEER...UPPER BUFFALO WILDERNESS AREA AND PARTHENON. 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. 44
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1143 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ARZ034-141705- WOODRUFF- 1143 AM CDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WOODRUFF COUNTY UNTIL 1205 PM CDT... AT 1141 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR PENROSE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. PENNY SIZED HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. AREAS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE HILLEMAN AND PENROSE. 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. 44
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:39 UTC.
10 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous trees were blown down in the Ozark National Forest around Granny Gap Road.
Quarter size hail was reported on U.S. Highway 67/167 at McRae.
Marble to golf ball size hail covered the ground.
Quarter size hail fell at U.S. Highway 270 and Arkansas Highway 27.
Small trees and large limbs were blown down.
Streets were flooded in Mount Ida.
Thunderstorm winds blew several windows out of a supermarket in Pine Bluff. Street signs in the area were bent and a number of large tree limbs were knocked down.
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, May 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: 224212, 224208, 224209, 224210, 224213, 224214, 224216, 224217, 224218, 224220, 224222, 224225, 224223, 224229.