A cold front approached Northeast Arkansas during the evening hours of July 26th, 2012. A line of severe thunderstorms accompanied the front into the area but quickly weakened due to the loss of daytime heating.
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 MEG wrote it up.
A cold front approached Northeast Arkansas during the evening hours of July 26th, 2012. A line of severe thunderstorms accompanied the front into the area but quickly weakened due to the loss of daytime heating. Damaging winds occurred across much of Northeast Arkansas before the line weakened.
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 Jul 26, 2:46 PM CST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
346 PM CDT THU JUL 26 2012
.DISCUSSION...
A COLD FRONT STRETCHES FROM NEAR MOUNT VERNON ILLINOIS TO
SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEGUN TO POP
UP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. A FEW OF THEM HAVE BEEN SEVERE
ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI...THUS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS
BEEN ISSUED JUST NORTH OF THE MIDSOUTH. SO FAR ONLY TWO
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER RANDOLPH AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES
IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. THE ACTIVITY IN MISSOURI WILL SINK
SOUTHWARD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. HAVE BUMPED POPS UP TO
LIKELY FOR TONIGHT OVER NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI
BOOTHEEL...AND NORTHWEST TENNESSEE. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD
EVENTUALLY DIE OUT BUT THAT MAY NOT BE UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT SO THE
SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY COULD SINK AS FAR SOUTH AS
MEMPHIS THUS HAVE RAISED POPS TONIGHT TO 40 PERCENT. HEAT ADVISORY
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 7 PM.
REDEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ON FRIDAY
GENERALLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40 WITH NORTH MISSISSIPPI HAVING THE
BEST CHANCE. EXPECT ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER OVER THE MIDSOUTH DURING
THE MORNING HOURS WHICH WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM WARMING UP AS
QUICKLY. IN ADDITION...SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL ALSO KEEP
TEMPERATURES DOWN. HEAT INDICES WILL BE MUCH LOWER THUS NO HEAT
ADVISORIES WILL BE NECESSARY. NORTHEAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI
BOOTHEEL MAY BE THE WARMEST EVEN BEHIND THE FRONT AS CLOUDS SHOULD
BREAK UP AND WITH DRIER AIR IN PLACE...READINGS MAY REACH INTO THE
MID 90S. ELSEWHERE...EXPECT HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S.
THE WEEKEND...EXPECT WARM DAYS AND COOLER NIGHTS AS NORTHERLY
WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO FILTER IN DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION.
SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THE AREA MOVES INTO NORTHWEST FLOW
ALOFT THUS EXPECT ONE MCS AFTER ANOTHER TO DEVELOP OVER THE MIDWEST AND
DRIFT SOUTHEAST INTO THE CWA DURING THE OVERNIGHT INTO THE MORNING
HOURS THEN DIE OUT. THE AFTERNOON HOURS WILL BE RELATIVELY QUIET.
THEN EXPECT A REPEAT SCENARIO AGAIN MONDAY NIGHT...TUESDAY NIGHT ETC.
KRM
&&
.AVIATION...
18Z TAF SET
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE PERIOD. A FEW STORMS WILL
BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE MIDSOUTH LATE THIS
EVENING AND TONIGHT AS A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA.
CONTINUED VCTS AT KJBR AND KMKL. SW WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 10-15
KTS WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 20 KTS LATER THIS MORNING. JBR AND MKL MAY
SEE A NORTHWEST SHIFT TOMORROW MORNING BEHIND THE FRONT...BUT AT
THIS POINT IT IS SO ILL-DEFINED DECIDED TO MAINTAIN SOUTHWEST
FLOW.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MEM 76 90 75 96 / 40 30 10 10
MKL 73 88 71 95 / 60 20 10 10
JBR 73 93 73 98 / 60 20 0 10
TUP 77 92 74 95 / 20 60 20 10
&&
.MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR CLAY-CRAIGHEAD-
CRITTENDEN-CROSS-GREENE-LAWRENCE-LEE AR-MISSISSIPPI-
PHILLIPS-POINSETT-RANDOLPH-ST. FRANCIS.
MO...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR DUNKLIN-PEMISCOT.
MS...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR ALCORN-BENTON MS-
CALHOUN-CHICKASAW-COAHOMA-DESOTO-ITAWAMBA-LAFAYETTE-LEE MS-
MARSHALL-MONROE-PANOLA-PONTOTOC-PRENTISS-QUITMAN-
TALLAHATCHIE-TATE-TIPPAH-TISHOMINGO-TUNICA-UNION-YALOBUSHA.
TN...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR CARROLL-CHESTER-
CROCKETT-DECATUR-DYER-FAYETTE-GIBSON-HARDEMAN-HARDIN-
HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-HENRY-LAKE-LAUDERDALE-MADISON-MCNAIRY-
OBION-SHELBY-TIPTON-WEAKLEY.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 354 PM CDT THU JUL 26 2012 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-271200- 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- 354 PM CDT THU JUL 26 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE MID SOUTH TODAY AS HEAT INDICES EXCEED 105 DEGREES. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING NORTH OF A LINE FROM CLARKSDALE MISSISSIPPI TO TUPELO MISSISSIPPI. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS IS DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 163 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:26 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds knocked numerous trees down across all of Randolph County. Some trees blocked roads near Ravenden Springs, Middlebrook and Engelberg communities.
Straight line winds knocked a tree onto a house, damaging the house, in Central Paragould.
Straight line winds knocked trees down, some of which fell onto power lines, near Jonesboro. A highway sign was blown into the roadway on Highway 18 just east of Jonesboro.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, July 2012
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: 401784, 401786, 401798.