Severe thunderstorms on Feb. 7, 2017 brought damaging winds, large hail and heavy rains to parts of central and north 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.
Severe thunderstorms on Feb. 7, 2017 brought damaging winds, large hail and heavy rains to parts of central and north 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 Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 6, 11:42 PM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Little Rock AR 1142 PM CST Mon Feb 6 2017 .UPDATE... Updated for the 06z aviation discussion below. && .AVIATION... Thunderstorm development began around 04z and was largely tied to the higher terrain of the Ozarks and Ouachitas in western and norhtwestern Arkansas. However this activity will spread in coverage and move east with time. Have TEMPO groups for TSRA at most sites to account for expected convective trends. Expect some occasional MVFR conditions in showers and especially thunderstorms. Overall though, flight categories should mainly be of the VFR variety. The front associated with this convection will move through all terminals during the morning hours, with VFR conditions to follow. && PREV DISCUSSION...(ISSUED 246 PM CST Mon Feb 6 2017) SHORT TERM...Today Through Wednesday Observational data indicate overcast conditions prevailing across the state early this afternoon. Scattered, very light returns were noted from KLZK radar across west central and north central sections. Analysis of surface data indicates the warm front has reached a line from just south of Searcy, to near Salem. Upper level energy will continue to approach the mid south overnight. Low level moisture will continue to stream northward, aided by an increasing low level jet. By late tonight, thermodynamic and shear profiles will be support of organized, somewhat elevated convection. A limiting factor for widespread convective development will be substantial convective inhibition, as well as a lack of focused low level forcing. Upper level energy will continue quickly eastward on Tuesday, with precipitation chances diminishing from west to east during the morning hours. Compressional boundary layer flow will support well above normal temperatures for Tuesday. A cold front will approach late in the period, but not in time to affect temperatures on Wednesday. LONG TERM...Wednesday Night Through Monday Extended term will begin with surface high pressure building into the area. High over the plains will continue to sink southward into the region thru Thursday, bringing a rather quick cool-down to the area. I doubt max temperatures will make it out of the 40's and 50's, which is a significant departure from what is happening in the short term. The high will retreat eastward fairly quickly, allowing a southerly flow to reestablish itself Thursday night into Friday. High temps should surge back up into the 60's on Friday and into the 70's on Saturday. Another cold front will be approaching the area by the Sunday-Monday time frame, which should make for another round of thunderstorms. Aloft, NWLY flow will eventually give way to weak ridging by the weekend, as a closed low takes form across the southwestern US / NWRN Mexico. Timing of these systems is always suspect, and the models move it into the area just beyond the extended term. In any event, this system should throw show shortwaves across the area in the Sunday-Monday time frame.&& && .LZK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...NONE. && Aviation...64
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1135 PM CST MON FEB 6 2017 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-071100- 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- 1135 PM CST MON FEB 6 2017 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER PARTS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BE STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WOULD BE THE MAIN THREATS. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THESE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM MENA...TO NEWPORT. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS THROUGH 5 AM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE STATE TUESDAY. THIS WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EAST TUESDAY. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE MAIN THREATS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATE TONIGHT. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LZK. 56
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 134 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:50 UTC.
4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
A dumpster was rolled through a wooden privacy fence in Gassville.
Quarter size hail was reported in Jasper.
Large trees and power lines were reported down by the 911 call center.
Trees were downed on Old Jacksonville Highway and Maddox Road.
Street flooding occurred. Almost 3 inches of rain was measured.
In the last 6 hours, 2.45 inches of rain was measured. There was also a 51 mph gust measured at 520 am CST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, February 2017
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: 680960, 680963, 680969, 680971, 680974, 680976, 680982, 680984, 680986.