Flash Flooding and Hail in Arkansas, May 19 to 20, 2010

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Arkansas, May 19 to 20, 2010
Start: 2010-05-19T21:10
End: 2010-05-20T04:00
Location: Arkansas

May 19 to 20, 2010 · NWS TSA · 5 events in 2 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms developed along and ahead of a northward lifting warm front during the evening of May 19th. These storms produced large hail, damaging wind, and some flash flooding as they moved across northwestern Arkansas.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TSA wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

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 19, 8:52 PM CST, 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 19, 8:52 PM CST, 18 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
952 PM CDT WED MAY 19 2010

...UPDATE...

.DISCUSSION...
TRANSITION TO A LINEAR SYSTEM IS LARGELY UNDERWAY WITH RISKS
SHIFTING TO STRONG WINDS AND FLOODING RAINS. WESTERN EDGE OF
PRECIP LOOKS TO REMAIN THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE SEVERE WEATHER
THREAT...SO UNLESS NEW DEVELOPMENT OCCURS...WE WILL BE ABLE TO
TRIM THE WATCH FROM WEST TO EAST WITH TIME. OVERNIGHT FORECAST
DOMINATED BY CONVECTIVE INFLUENCE WITH ASSOCIATED IMPACTS
SPREADING INTO THURSDAY WIND AND INSTABILITY FORECASTS. LATEST NAM
DATA DOES REDEVELOP STORMS TOMORROW EVENING.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TUL   64  76  56  82 /  90  50  20  10
FSM   66  79  62  83 / 100  80  50  10
MLC   67  79  63  86 /  90  50  30   0
BVO   60  75  53  81 /  90  50  20  10
FYV   63  75  59  79 / 100  80  50  10
BYV   61  75  58  79 / 100  80  60  10
MKO   64  77  61  82 /  90  60  30  10
MIO   61  75  56  79 /  90  70  30  10
F10   65  78  60  84 /  90  50  20   0
HHW   68  84  65  87 /  90  60  50   0

&&

.TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM THURSDAY FOR OKZ054-OKZ055-OKZ056-
     OKZ057-OKZ058-OKZ059-OKZ060-OKZ061-OKZ062-OKZ063-OKZ064-
     OKZ065-OKZ066-OKZ067-OKZ068-OKZ069-OKZ070-OKZ071-OKZ072-
     OKZ073-OKZ074-OKZ075-OKZ076.

AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM THURSDAY FOR ARZ001-ARZ002-ARZ010-
     ARZ011-ARZ019-ARZ020-ARZ029.

&&

LONG TERM....07

Hazardous weather outlook, May 19, 7:38 PM CST, 1 hour 32 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
838 PM CDT WED MAY 19 2010

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-201000-
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-
838 PM CDT WED MAY 19 2010

...DANGEROUS SEVERE WEATHER ONGOING...

THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.
TORNADO.
	RISK...SIGNIFICANT.
	AREA...MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
	ONSET...ONGOING.

	AREA AT GREATEST RISK...CORRIDOR FROM TULSA TO FORT SMITH.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.
	RISK...CRITICAL.
	AREA...ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
	ONSET...ONGOING.

FLASH FLOOD.
	RISK...SIGNIFICANT.
	AREA...ALL EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
	ONSET...ONGOING.

	AREA AT GREATEST RISK...LOCATIONS ALONG AND NORTH OF
        INTERSTATE 40.

DISCUSSION...
TORNADIC THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONGOING ACROSS PORTIONS OF
EASTERN OKLAHOMA...PRIMARILY NEAR A WARM FRONT WHICH STRETCHES
FROM NEAR HOMINY TO NEAR FORT SMITH.  CONDITIONS REMAIN HIGHLY
FAVORABLE FOR ADDITIONAL TORNADOES ALONG AND SOUTH OF THIS
BOUNDARY...WHILE THE SEVERE WEATHER RISK INCLUDING LARGE HAIL
POTENTIAL INCLUDES ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS.

THE SLOW MOVING STORMS WHICH HAVE PASSED OVER MANY OF THE
SAME AREAS WILL RESULT IN AREAS OF FLASH FLOODING.  A FLASH
FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...AND ADDITIONAL FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS
MAY BE REQUIRED.  BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT AS FLOODED
ROADWAYS WILL BE MORE DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY.

SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
ACTIVATION OF THE REGIONAL SPOTTER NETWORK IS ONGOING...AND
WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON THURSDAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.
THURSDAY...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL...HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL.
FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...NO HAZARDS.

EXTENDED DISCUSSION...
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO BE ONGOING DURING
THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON THURSDAY...WITH THE STORM COMPLEX
SHIFTING EASTWARD WITH TIME.  ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP
THURSDAY AFTERNOON...AND THESE STORMS WOULD ALSO POSE A SEVERE
WEATHER RISK.  LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL OCCUR WEDNESDAY NIGHT
INTO THURSDAY...AND SHOULD STORMS DEVELOP LATER THURSDAY...THEN
ADDITIONAL RAINS WOULD WORSEN ANY ONGOING FLOOD POTENTIAL.

A MORE STABLE WEATHER PATTERN IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP OVER
THE WEEKEND...AND PERSIST INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.

WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA CONTAINS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 19, 7:47 PM CST, 1 hour 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
847 PM CDT WED MAY 19 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0845 PM     TSTM WND GST     MUSKOGEE                35.75N 95.37W
05/19/2010  E0 MPH           MUSKOGEE           OK   TRAINED SPOTTER

            70 MPH WIND REPORTED ON CHANDLER ROAD IN EASTERN MUSKOGEE

&&

MAT

Local storm report, May 19, 7:47 PM CST, 1 hour 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT   ...CORRECTED WIND SPEED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
847 PM CDT WED MAY 19 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0845 PM     TSTM WND GST     MUSKOGEE                35.75N 95.37W
05/19/2010  E70 MPH          MUSKOGEE           OK   TRAINED SPOTTER

            70 MPH WIND REPORTED ON CHANDLER ROAD IN EASTERN MUSKOGEE

&&

MAT

Local storm report, May 19, 8:20 PM CST, 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
920 PM CDT WED MAY 19 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0919 PM     FLASH FLOOD      TULSA                   36.13N 95.92W
05/19/2010                   TULSA              OK   PUBLIC

            WIDESPREAD STREET FLOODING 41ST YALE TO MINGO.

&&

JBM

Local storm report, May 19, 8:34 PM CST, 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
934 PM CDT WED MAY 19 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0930 PM     FLASH FLOOD      1 S KIEFER              35.93N 96.07W
05/19/2010                   CREEK              OK   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ROADWAY FLOODED APPROX. 5 INCHES IN DEPTH

&&

JBM

Local storm report, May 19, 8:55 PM CST, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
955 PM CDT WED MAY 19 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0950 PM     HAIL             6 E TAHLEQUAH           35.92N 94.86W
05/19/2010  E0.75 INCH       CHEROKEE           OK   BROADCAST MEDIA

&&

SFP

Local storm report, May 19, 9:03 PM CST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1003 PM CDT WED MAY 19 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1002 PM     FLASH FLOOD      TULSA                   36.13N 95.92W
05/19/2010                   TULSA              OK   AMATEUR RADIO

            A BRIDGE NEAR 101ST STREET SOUTH AND MEMORIAL WAS
            REPORTED COVERED BY WATER

&&

SFP

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 10 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Sebastian

When: May 19, 9:10 PM CST
Where: Sebastian County, 1 mi NW of Greenwood
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 35.230, -94.282

Hail, Sebastian

When: May 19, 9:15 PM CST
Where: Sebastian County, Greenwood
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.220, -94.270

Flash Flood, Madison

When: May 19, 11:15 PM CST to May 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Madison County, 0.75 mi NW of Kingston to 0.5 mi SW of Kingston
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.058, -93.529

Locally heavy rain resulted in excessive runoff and caused a river to flow out of its banks around Kingston.

Flash Flood, Madison

When: May 19, 11:15 PM CST to May 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Madison County, 1 mi NW of Combs to 1 mi SW of Combs
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.830, -93.843

Widespread flooding was reported in the Combs area with numerous creeks and streams out of their banks.

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: May 19, 11:15 PM CST
Where: Madison County, Kingston
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.050, -93.520

Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large trees.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arkansas in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, May 2010

Sources

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: 228914, 228915, 228933, 228936, 228937.