A large upper level storm system slowly approached the state from the west, pumping in large amounts of moisture into the region. At the same time, surface low pressure developed ahead of this upper level low and moved northeast over portions of Arkansas.
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 large upper level storm system slowly approached the state from the west, pumping in large amounts of moisture into the region. At the same time, surface low pressure developed ahead of this upper level low and moved northeast over portions of Arkansas. As these systems passed overhead, several rounds of showers and thunderstorms were seen during the period of the 8th through the 11th of May. Very heavy rainfall was observed and many instances of flash flooding were seen. Some severe weather was also seen as large hail and damaging were reported.
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 8, 11:37 AM CST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1237 PM CDT FRI MAY 8 2015 .DISCUSSION... UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE 18Z AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW... && .AVIATION... SOME SHRA/TSRA ONGOING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE STATE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH SOME MVFR OR LOWER CONDITIONS SEEN UNDER THIS ACTIVITY. DO THINK SOME SITES WILL CONTINUE TO SEE SOME OF THE SHRA/TSRA ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON...SO HAVE MENTIONED THIS WITH SOME TEMPO GROUPS. OTHERWISE...WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION VCTS THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST AS THERE WILL ADDITIONAL PERIODS OF SCATTERED TO MORE WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY THROUGH MIDDAY SAT. THE EXACT TIMING FOR EACH TERMINAL REMAINS UNCERTAIN HOWEVER. SOME PATCHY FOG OR LOW CIGS COULD ALSO BE SEEN BY AROUND SUNRISE SAT MORNING. && PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 331 AM CDT FRI MAY 8 2015/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE OVER THE MID SECTION OF THE COUNTRY TODAY AND THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. SUBTROPICAL STORM ANA IS OFF THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST. UPPER LOW PRESSURE OVER CALIFORNIA TODAY WILL MOVE THROUGH THE FOUR CORNERS AREA SATURDAY...THEN NORTHEAST INTO THE PLAINS SUNDAY...AND UPPER MIDWEST MONDAY. THE FLOW WILL BECOME ZONAL OVER ARKANSAS LATE MONDAY. SEVERAL WAVES OF PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE ACROSS ARKANSAS TODAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT IS LOCATED FROM NORTH MISSOURI TO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE THIS MORNING. RAIN CHANCES WILL INCREASE AS THE FRONT APPROACHES. WITH WARM MOIST AIR AHEAD OF THE FRONT...THE ATMOSPHERE WILL DESTABILIZE AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. SEVERE WEATHER CHANCES WILL REMAIN WEST OF ARKANSAS TODAY AND SATURDAY. HOWEVER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE SUNDAY INTO EARLY MONDAY ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE STATE MONDAY...PUSHING THE FRONT SOUTH OF THE STATE. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD...THEN COOLER BEHIND THE FRONT. LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BE STALLED OUT NEAR SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...WITH HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED IN THE PLAINS. THIS WILL KEEP RAIN CHANCES OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE AREA THROUGH THE PERIOD. TEMPERATURES WILL BE CLOSE TO OR A LITTLE BELOW CLIMATOLOGICAL AVERAGES. BY THE END OF THE PERIOD...THE SURFACE BOUNDARY MAY START TO PUSH BACK TO THE NORTH AS A WARM FRONT...WITH RAIN CHANCES INCREASING OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 81 66 82 67 / 50 50 60 40 CAMDEN AR 84 69 84 69 / 40 30 40 30 HARRISON AR 79 65 78 65 / 40 60 60 60 HOT SPRINGS AR 82 69 83 69 / 60 40 60 40 LITTLE ROCK AR 82 69 84 69 / 50 40 60 30 MONTICELLO AR 85 68 84 70 / 30 20 30 20 MOUNT IDA AR 82 69 81 68 / 60 50 60 60 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 80 65 79 66 / 40 60 60 50 NEWPORT AR 82 67 83 69 / 50 50 60 30 PINE BLUFF AR 83 69 84 70 / 40 30 40 30 RUSSELLVILLE AR 81 68 80 67 / 50 50 60 50 SEARCY AR 82 68 83 68 / 50 40 60 30 STUTTGART AR 83 68 84 69 / 40 30 50 30 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && AVIATION...62
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 500 AM CDT FRI MAY 8 2015 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-091000- 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- 500 AM CDT FRI MAY 8 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE MORNING HOURS...BUT SHOULD DIMINISH AFTER SUNRISE. WITH THE HEATING OF THE DAY...ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO RE- DEVELOP BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS. WHILE A STORM OR TWO MAY BRIEFLY BECOME STRONG...WIDESPREAD SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO A POSSIBILITY WITH ANY STRONGER STORMS. HOWEVER...WIDESPREAD FLOODING ISSUES ARE NOT EXPECTED. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ARE LIKELY TO DIMINISH AROUND SUNSET. HOWEVER...ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE STATE LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...AS SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL SYSTEMS MOVE THROUGH THE REGION. ISOLATED STRONG STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. HOWEVER...THE HIGHEST CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ON SUNDAY...AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE REGION. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT...SPREADING ACROSS THE STATE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. AT THIS POINT...IT APPEARS LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY CONCERN WITH ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS MAY PERSIST INTO EARLY MONDAY...UNTIL THE FRONT CLEARS THE STATE. THROUGH EARLY MONDAY...HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE A CONCERN WITH ANY STRONGER STORMS THAT DEVELOP. WHILE WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS NOT A CONCERN AT THIS POINT...FURTHER RAINFALL FORECASTS WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 57
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 122 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:58 UTC.
18 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 heavy rain, 1 flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Flooding was observed at the intersection of Highways 26 and 53 at Hollywood, Arkansas in Clark County.
Highway 7 south of Bismark was flooded.
About 3 inches of water were in the Waffle House at Caddo Valley off of I-30 in Clark County.
Highway 26 was flooded west of Arkadelphia.
A few streets in Glenwood were under water.
Several roads in and around Mena were covered by water.
Trees were blown down across Highway 27 north of Murfreesboro.
Several streets in Murfreesboro were under water.
Several roads in Antoine were under water.
A water rescue was completed of 4 people who were in a car that went off into a creek off on Southpoint Lane west of Dardanelle. Two individuals had minor injuries.
Many roads across the city of Clarksville were covered by water.
Many roads across the county were washed out due to flash flooding. Two water rescues were performed overnight at homes in the town of Hunt.
Highway 88 was flooded, along with several other roads across the county.
Heavy rain fell during the morning hours of the 11th, with 2.51 inches falling in less than 3 hours.
Highway 28 near Little Texas Road were flooded.
Highway 28 west of Briggsville was flooded.
Highway 80 from western county line to the Highway 27 intersection south of Danville was closed in several places due to flash flooding.
Heavy rain fell at the North Little Rock Airport, where 1.79 inches of rain fell in less than an hour.
Several trees were blown down across the county.
Widespread flooding was observed across the county, with several roads closed. Highways 67, 26, 7, and 51 were all closed, along with several county roads. A water rescue was completed as a vehicle attempted to cross a flooded low water crossing.
Three bridges were washed out, along with several county roads closed due to flash flooding.
Flash flooding was observed across Murfreesboro.
Street flooding was observed at several locations in North Little Rock.
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, May 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: 581089, 581121, 581095, 581099, 581093, 581106, 581082, 581102, 581103, 581125, 581108, 581109, 581078, 581110, 581081, 581112, 581114, 581117, 581080, 581083, 581579, 581589, 581118, 581119.