Hail and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, October 6, 2014

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, October 6, 2014
Start: 2014-10-06T02:40
End: 2014-10-06T02:50
Location: Arkansas

October 6, 2014 · NWS SHV · 4 events in 1 county or zone

Strong northwest flow aloft was present across the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi valley during this period. A disturbance moved southward out of this flow into the Four State Region.

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: $5,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 SHV wrote it up.

Strong northwest flow aloft was present across the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi valley during this period. A disturbance moved southward out of this flow into the Four State Region. Strong mid level lapse rates and elevated instability resulted in the development of strong to severe thunderstorms during the predawn hours of October 6th. The storms eventually developed into a Mesoscale Convective Complex producing large hail and widespread wind damage across portions of Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest Arkansas as well as Northeast Texas and Northwest Louisiana.

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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 5, 11:03 PM CST, 3 hours 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 5, 11:03 PM CST, 3 hours 37 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 5, 10:22 AM CST, 16 hours 18 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1122 AM CDT SUN OCT 5 2014

ARZ050-051-059>061-070>072-LAZ001>003-010-OKZ077-TXZ096-097-
108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165-166-061100-
SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE-
COLUMBIA-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-DE SOTO-MCCURTAIN-RED RIVER-BOWIE-
FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP-MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-UPSHUR-MARION-SMITH-GREGG-
HARRISON-CHEROKEE-RUSK-PANOLA-NACOGDOCHES-SHELBY-ANGELINA-
SAN AUGUSTINE-
1122 AM CDT SUN OCT 5 2014

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST
ARKANSAS...NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...EAST TEXAS
AND NORTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE TOWARDS THE REGION LATE
TONIGHT. WILL MOISTURE RETURN WILL BE WEAK AT BEST AHEAD OF THIS
SYSTEM...STEEP TEMPERATURE CHANGES ALOFT COULD RESULT IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH WOULD
HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SMALL HAIL. THE MOST LIKELY REGION
TO SEE THIS WOULD BE THE NORTHERN HALF OF NORTHEAST TEXAS...
SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EXTREME NORTHWEST
LOUISIANA LATE TONIGHT INTO THE PREDAWN HOURS MONDAY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...

SMALL THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REGION
DURING THE DAY MONDAY ENDING MONDAY NIGHT AS A WEAK UPPER LEVEL
STORM SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. SLIGHT CHANCES FOR
THUNDERSTORMS WILL RETURN TO THE FORECAST FOR LATE WEDNESDAY
THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK WITH HIGHER THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES
POSSIBLE FOR NEXT WEEKEND AS ANOTHER UPPER UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE
APPROACHES THE REGION FROM THE WEST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...AMATEUR RADIO
OPERATORS AND STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH
TONIGHT.

ARZ073-LAZ004>006-011>014-017>022-TXZ167-061100-
UNION AR-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN-UNION LA-RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-
OUACHITA-SABINE LA-NATCHITOCHES-WINN-GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-
SABINE TX-
1122 AM CDT SUN OCT 5 2014

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
ARKANSAS...NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...NORTHWEST LOUISIANA AND EAST
TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...

SMALL THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REGION
DURING THE DAY MONDAY ENDING MONDAY NIGHT AS A WEAK UPPER LEVEL
STORM SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. SLIGHT CHANCES FOR
THUNDERSTORMS WILL RETURN TO THE FORECAST FOR LATE WEDNESDAY
THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK WITH HIGHER THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES
POSSIBLE FOR NEXT WEEKEND AS ANOTHER UPPER UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE
APPROACHES THE REGION FROM THE WEST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...AMATEUR RADIO
OPERATORS AND STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH
TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 6, 2:13 AM CST, 27 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
313 AM CDT MON OCT 6 2014

ARZ051-060845-
HOWARD-
313 AM CDT MON OCT 6 2014

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY...EFFECTIVE UNTIL 345 AM CDT...FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY...

IN SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...
     HOWARD...

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
     ATHENS AND UMPIRE...

AT 313 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
DETECTING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ATHENS...OR NEAR UMPIRE...MOVING
EAST AT 35 MPH.

DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

19

Special weather statement, Oct 6, 2:22 AM CST, 18 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
322 AM CDT MON OCT 6 2014

ARZ050-051-060900-
HOWARD-SEVIER-
322 AM CDT MON OCT 6 2014

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY...EFFECTIVE UNTIL 400 AM CDT...FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES...

IN SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...
     HOWARD AND SEVIER...

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
     DIERKS...

AT 320 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
DETECTING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF UMPIRE...MOVING
EAST AT 40 MPH.

DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

19

Special weather statement, Oct 6, 2:39 AM CST, 1 minute before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
339 AM CDT MON OCT 6 2014

ARZ051-060915-
HOWARD-
339 AM CDT MON OCT 6 2014

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY...EFFECTIVE UNTIL 415 AM CDT...FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY...

IN SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...
     HOWARD...

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
     CENTER POINT AND CORINTH...

AT 339 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
DETECTING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR CENTER POINT...OR 5 MILES SOUTH
OF DIERKS...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

19

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Howard

When: October 6, 2:40 AM CST
Where: Howard County, 0.69 mi S of Dierks
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.110, -94.020

Dime to nickel size hail was reported just south of Dierks, Arkansas.

Hail, Howard

When: October 6, 2:45 AM CST
Where: Howard County, 2.2 mi SE of Dierks
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.100, -93.990

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When: October 6, 2:45 AM CST
Where: Howard County, 0.69 mi N of Nashville
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 33.940, -93.850

Several trees were downed throughout mainly the northern half of the county blocking roadways. A few chicken houses suffered minor damage as well.

Hail, Howard

When: October 6, 2:50 AM CST
Where: Howard County, 1.15 mi W of Center Pt
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.030, -93.950

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, October 2014

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 541999, 542000, 542001, 542002.