On the 26th, a large upper level storm system moved towards Arkansas from the southwest causing a stalled front in the Plains to move northeast across Arkansas. Thunderstorms along the front surged into Arkansas during the early morning hours of the 27th.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
On the 26th, a large upper level storm system moved towards Arkansas from the southwest causing a stalled front in the Plains to move northeast across Arkansas. Thunderstorms along the front surged into Arkansas during the early morning hours of the 27th. On the 29th/early on the 30th, the atmosphere became very unsettled around the front, and storms flared up. Heavy to excessive rain overspread the area, and severe storms accompanied the storm system as well.
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 Apr 26, 9:39 PM CST, 2 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1039 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2016 .UPDATE... UPDATE TO THE FORECAST TONIGHT INCLUDES ISSUANCE OF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR ROUGHLY THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE STATE. THE HRRR MODEL RUNS...WHILE HAVING FLIP FLOPPED A BIT THROUGH THE EVENING...HAVE SLOWED THE OVERALL CONVECTION ENTERING THE STATE UNTIL CLOSER TO 1 AM. THE SEVERE POTENTIAL REMAINS EARLY ON. HOWEVER...THE TIME OF DAY IS WORKING AGAINST IT. OTHERWISE...THE OVERALL FORECAST TREND OF POPS/QPF/TEMPS HAVE BEEN TWEAKED. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 652 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2016/ AVIATION... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA WILL MOVE TOWARDS ARKANSAS LATER THIS EVENING. VRF CIGS WILL FALL TO MVFR FROM WEST TO EAST...AS VCTS APPROACH NORTHERN TAF SITES AFTER 06Z. SOME STORMS MAYBE STRONG TO SEVERE...WITH GUSTY WINDS OF 35KT TO 45KT AND HEAVY RAIN DROPPING CIGS TO IFR ON OCCASION. THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST TOWARDS CENTRAL ARKANSAS NEAR DAY BREAK...REACHING SOUTHERN SITES BY MID MORNING. SHOWERS MAY LINGER THROUGH THE DAY...WITH WINDS BEHIND THE LINE OF STORMS BECOMING SSW WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 10KT TO 20KT AND CIGS GENERALLY IMPROVING. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 306 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2016/ DISCUSSION... MAIN CONCERNS IN THIS FORECAST CYCLE ARE CHANCES OF CONVECTION AND SEVERE POTENTIAL LATER TONIGHT...WEDNESDAY...THEN AGAIN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. CLOUDS HAVE CONTINUED TO STREAM OVER AR FROM THE SW AND HAVE KEEP TEMPS MAINLY IN THE 70S TO LOWER 80S. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF CONVECTION MAY STILL BE SEEN OVER NORTHERN AR AND OVER WESTERN PARTS...BUT OVERALL COVERAGE WILL REMAIN LOW THIS AFTERNOON TO EVENING. THE COMPLEX OVER CENTRAL MO WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ESE...AND STILL MAY PUSH AN OUTFLOW TO NEAR NORTHERN AR. SHORT RANGE MODELS DO INDICATE SOME POSSIBLE LIGHT CONVECTION POSSIBLE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AR. MOISTURE LEVELS HAVE COME UP OVER AR WITH DEW POINT TEMPS IN THE 60S STATE WIDE. THE UPPER DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE TROUGH AND LOW PRESSURE WERE OVER THE ROCKIES. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT FORECAST WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE CONVECTION CHANCES TONIGHT AND ON WEDNESDAY...AS THE UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT MOVE THROUGH THE REGION AND AR. LIGHT CONVECTION MAY BE SEEN INITIALLY OVER NORTHERN AR WITH ANY OUT FLOW BOUNDARY WITH THE MO CONVECTION COMPLEX...BUT BETTER CHANCES WILL BE OVERNIGHT AND ON WEDNESDAY WITH UPPER ENERGY AND THE COLD FRONT. SPS HAS A MARGINAL TO SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS FOR AR...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREATS...WHILE THE WIND PROFILES DO SHOW SOME VEERING AND ISOLATED TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY ON WEDNESDAY...ARE POSSIBLE. RAIN AMOUNTS TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE 1 TO 2 INCHES...WITH A FEW LOCALLIZED HIGHER AMOUNTS AS PRECIP WATER VALUES HAVE REACHED WELL OVER AN INCH WITH A GOOD MOISTURE FETCH FROM THE GULF OF MEX. WEDNESDAY EVENING THE MAIN CORE OF CONVECTION WILL BE PUSHING EAST OF AR...WITH ONLY SOME LINGERING LIGHT SHOWERS OR RAIN BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. SOMEWHAT COOLER AND DRIER AIR WILL FILTER INTO AR...AND BRING A DRY DAY FOR THURSDAY. LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AN UPPER RIDGE WILL BE OVER THE SOUTHEAST U.S. TO BEGIN THE LONG TERM PERIOD UPPER LOWS OVER THE PLAINS AND THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. EXPECT THE RIDGE TO STRENGTHEN OVER THE SOUTHEAST U.S. AND FORCE THE UPPER LOW IN THE PLAINS TO THE UPPER MIDWEST. THE NEXT LOW WILL FOLLOW THE SAME PATH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. ANOTHER UPPER LOW DEVELOPS NEAR THE ROCKIES FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY. EXPECT UNSETTLED WEATHER TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD WITH CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMSS. A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THIS COULD BRING ANOTHER CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. NO MAJOR CHANGES MADE IN THE EXTENDED. LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. SHORT TERM...224 / LONG TERM...59 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && 224
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1040 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2016 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-271000- BOONE-MARION-BAXTER-FULTON-SHARP-NEWTON-SEARCY-STONE-IZARD- INDEPENDENCE-JOHNSON-POPE-VAN BUREN-CLEBURNE-JACKSON-LOGAN-CONWAY- FAULKNER-WHITE-WOODRUFF-SCOTT-YELL-PERRY-POLK-MONTGOMERY-GARLAND- SALINE-PULASKI-LONOKE-PRAIRIE-MONROE-PIKE-CLARK-HOT SPRING-GRANT- JEFFERSON-ARKANSAS-DALLAS-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-DESHA-OUACHITA-CALHOUN- BRADLEY-DREW- 1040 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO SWEEP INTO WESTERN ARKANSAS AFTER MIDNIGHT AND INTO CENTRAL ARKANSAS BY SUNRISE. THIS LINE WILL PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ALONG WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. WHILE A TORNADO CAN NOT BE COMPLETELY RULED OUT...THE MAIN CONCERNS WILL BE THE WIND AND HAIL THREAT. AS SUCH... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM FOR THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE STATE. THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE WILL BE THE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO SEVERE WEATHER WITH THE LINE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN SOMEWHAT AS IT APPROACHES CENTRAL SECTIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ONGOING WEDNESDAY MORNING. AGAIN...WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY CONCERN. THE STORMS WILL MOVE EASTWARD ON WEDNESDAY MORNING...AND WILL LIKELY BE EAST OF THE STATE BY MID AFTERNOON. IF THE AIR MASS CAN RECOVER BEHIND THE STORMS...AND SUFFICIENT WARMING/DESTABILIZING OCCURS... ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE SLOW-MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. IF ADDITIONAL STORMS CAN DEVELOP AND BECOME SEVERE...ALL MODES WOULD BE POSSIBLE. THE TORNADO THREAT WILL BE HIGHER WITH THESE STORMS. AT THIS TIME...IT DOES APPEAR THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS WELL. HEAVY RAINFALL AND MORE WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND AS SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE STATE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LZK. 44/57/56
The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:07 UTC.
14 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 4 strong wind, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Emergency Manager reported utility poles broken.
Marble to nickle size hail was reported.
Highway 8 East was closed between Norman and Caddo Gap due to high water.
Four inches of water was flowing over Highway 64 in Menifee from heavy rain.
A tree was reported down across power lines on North Springlake Road in East End.
Trees were reported down in Greenbrier.
Tree limbs were reported down and there were power outages in the area.
The second story and roof of a bed and breakfast was badly damaged by strong winds. No injuries were reported.
A few trees were reported down.
Water was flowing over a part of Highway 365 in Hensley.
Several county roads were flooded.
Several county roads were flooded.
Water was reported over highway 71.
Trees were uprooted and snapped, with some trees falling and causing damage to homes. This was on the northwest side of town.
Trees were down and blocking parts of Highway 51.
Trees and power lines were down in several parts of the county.
A 45 mph wind gust took the roof off of a business at the intersection of 4th Ave. and State St. in Pine Bluff.
A few trees were blown down along Highway 278 west of Warren.
Quarter sized hail at Jordan Marina was covering the ground with numerous golf ball sized hail stones observed as well.
Tree limbs were broken from thunderstorm winds.
Relayed by NWS Springfield.
Many limbs were blown down and two trees were uprooted.
Hail of dime to golf ball size covered the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, April 2016
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: 630940, 630941, 630951, 631224, 630944, 630947, 630946, 630945, 630948, 630942, 630952, 630954, 630955, 631225, 632025, 632026, 632023, 632024, 631014, 631023, 631012, 631019, 631020, 631017, 631025, 632022, 631035, 631021, 632020, 632021, 631036, 631027, 631048, 631028.