A potent upper level disturbance moved out of the southern plains and across the Mid-South in advance of a strong cold front during the evening hours of April 19, 2015. Numerous thunderstorms initiated over Western Arkansas, spread east into an unstable airmass across the Mid-South and intensified during the early evening hours.
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 potent upper level disturbance moved out of the southern plains and across the Mid-South in advance of a strong cold front during the evening hours of April 19, 2015. Numerous thunderstorms initiated over Western Arkansas, spread east into an unstable airmass across the Mid-South and intensified during the early evening hours. Several of these storms were severe with large hail and damaging winds across East Arkansas.
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 Apr 19, 5:31 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 631 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2015 .DISCUSSION... UPDATED FOR 00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 250 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2015/ SKIES ARE PARTLY SUNNY ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREAS THIS AFTERNOON WITH TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE MID 60S TO MID 70S. SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. THIS ACTIVITY IS NOT VERY STRONG AND WE ARE NOT EXPECTING ANY SEVERE WEATHER FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS. A COLD FRONT IS MOVING OUT OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND INTO WESTERN ARKANSAS. SOME THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ALONG THE FRONT IN EAST TEXAS AND BEHIND THE FRONT IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS EVENING AND SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS AS THE MAIN THREATS. THE COLD FRONT WILL BE EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY MORNING WITH SHOWERS ENDING OVER FAR EASTERN SECTIONS. COOLER AND DRIER AIR WILL BE MOVING INTO THE REGION WITH HIGHS ON MONDAY IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT ALLOWING SKIES TO CLEAR WHICH WILL HELP TEMPERATURES DROP IN TO THE 40S OVER MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA. DRY WEATHER AND SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY. BY TUESDAY NIGHT ANOTHER FRONT WILL START TO DROP SOUTH TOWARD THE FORECAST AREA. SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND THIS ACTIVITY MAY REACH FAR NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE CLOSER TO THE FORECAST AREA ON WEDNESDAY SO THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THIS COLD FRONT WILL STALL OUT ACROSS NORTH MISSISSIPPI SO THERE WILL STILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. BY FRIDAY...THE FRONT WILL START TO LIFT SLOWLY NORTH AS A WARM FRONT WITH MORE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED. LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT AND MOVE INTO THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT WHICH WILL BRING A BETTER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. THE FRONT WILL EVENTUALLY MOVE OUT OF THE REGION ON SATURDAY WITH THE THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS GRADUALLY ENDING SATURDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL START TO BUILD INTO THE REGION NEXT SUNDAY WITH DRY WEATHER EXPECTED. TEMPERATURES FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH NEXT SUNDAY WILL BE AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS. ARS && .AVIATION... 00Z TAF CYCLE VFR CONDS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL A LINE OF SHRAS AND TSRAS MOVES ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING WITH OCNL IFR VSBYS AND GUSTY WINDS. MVFR CIGS WILL PREVAIL AFTER THE LINE MOVES THROUGH UNTIL ABOUT MID MORNING MONDAY BEFORE VFR CONDS RETURN. SOUTHWEST WINDS AT 10 TO 15 MPH WILL TURN W/WNW OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUE...GUSTY AT TIMES ON MONDAY. SJM && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1153 AM CDT SUN APR 19 2015 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>092-201900- ALCORN-BENTON MS-BENTON TN-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- 1153 AM CDT SUN APR 19 2015 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 AN ENHANCED RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EASTERN ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE...AND MUCH OF NORTH MISSISSIPPI...WITH A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE MID SOUTH TONIGHT. NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP THIS EVENING ACROSS THE ENHANCED RISK AREA AND SPREAD EASTWARD LATER TONIGHT. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE AND PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY WITH ANY SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM THAT DEVELOPS THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY THIS EVENING.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
703 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0546 PM HAIL 3 S CARUTHERSVILLE 36.14N 89.67W
04/19/2015 E1.00 INCH PEMISCOT MO LAW ENFORCEMENT
&&
ARSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
738 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0731 PM TSTM WND GST 8 SW POCAHONTAS 36.18N 91.07W
04/19/2015 E60 MPH RANDOLPH AR PUBLIC
ESTIMATED 60 MPH WIND.
&&
ZDMThe Memphis radar (KNQA), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:43 UTC.
3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds snapped and uprooted several trees southwest of Fisher.
Straight line winds knocked down numerous trees and an awning in Lafe.
Golf ball size hail fell near Marie.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, April 2015
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: 570943, 570981, 570982, 570988, 570989.