A strong low pressure trough translated from the southwestern United States into the Southern Plains on November 30th and December 1st. Warm and moist air had spread northward into northwestern Arkansas ahead of this system.
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 TSA wrote it up.
A strong low pressure trough translated from the southwestern United States into the Southern Plains on November 30th and December 1st. Warm and moist air had spread northward into northwestern Arkansas ahead of this system. Atmospheric instability became moderately strong during the afternoon and evening hours to the east of a cold front that was over western Oklahoma, and south of a stationary front that was located across northern Oklahoma into southern Missouri. As the strong storm system moved into the Southern Plains on the 30th, wind fields throughout the atmosphere increased substantially, which resulted in very strong deep-layer and low-level wind shear across northwestern Arkansas during the evening and overnight hours.
Thunderstorms developed during the evening hours of the 30th across central and eastern Oklahoma, and moved northeast across northwestern Arkansas during the late evening hours of the 30th and early morning hours of December 1st. Moderately strong atmospheric instability across the area combined with very strong wind shear to produce organized severe thunderstorms. A squall line moved rapidly across the area ahead of the surging cold front and produced several tornadoes and damaging wind gusts in northwest 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 Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 30, 11:15 PM CST, 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tulsa OK 1115 PM CST Fri Nov 30 2018 .AVIATION... CONCERNING TAF SITES KTUL/KRVS/KBVO/KMLC/KXNA/KFYV/KFSM/KROG. Unsettled conditions are expected at the western Arkansas TAF sites for the first couple of hours of this TAF issuance. Showers and storms will have exited all of the eastern Oklahoma TAF sites by the valid time. VFR to MVFR conditions will be expected behind the line of showers and thunderstorms. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 940 PM CST Fri Nov 30 2018/ ..UPDATE... DISCUSSION... Widespread convection with ongoing severe weather will continue to advance eastward through the early morning hours. Conditions will remain favorable for tornadic potential especially across southeast OK into western AR. Updated forecast delayed the clearing of storms slightly otherwise elements remain on track. && .TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...None. AR...None. && AVIATION.....10
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Tulsa OK
521 PM CST Fri Nov 30 2018
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-011130-
Adair OK-Benton AR-Carroll AR-Cherokee OK-Choctaw OK-Craig OK-
Crawford AR-Creek OK-Delaware OK-Franklin AR-Haskell OK-Latimer OK-
Le Flore OK-Madison AR-Mayes OK-McIntosh OK-Muskogee OK-Nowata OK-
Okfuskee OK-Okmulgee OK-Osage OK-Ottawa OK-Pawnee OK-Pittsburg OK-
Pushmataha OK-Rogers OK-Sebastian AR-Sequoyah OK-Tulsa OK-Wagoner OK-
Washington OK-Washington AR-
521 PM CST Fri Nov 30 2018
...SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH THIS EVENING...
This Outlook is for Northwest and West Central Arkansas as well as
much of Eastern Oklahoma.
.DAY ONE...Tonight.
TORNADO.
RISK...Elevated.
AREA...Primarily along and south of Interstate 44, and especially
southeast Oklahoma into west central Arkansas.
ONSET...After 6 PM.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.
RISK...Critical.
AREA...All eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas.
ONSET...After 6 PM.
AREA AT GREATEST RISK...Southeast Oklahoma through northwest Arkansas.
HEAVY RAIN.
RISK...Limited.
AREA...Far eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas.
ONSET...Evening through early Saturday morning.
DISCUSSION...
Thunderstorms are developing over southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas
and storms will continue to increase in coverage through the evening hours.
Storms will end from west to east, and clear western Arkansas during the
early morning hours on Saturday. Conditions continue to appear favorable
for severe weather across much of eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas.
Instability continues to increase across the region this afternoon
and will trend upward through the evening hours. Winds aloft will also
become more favorable for severe storms, and very strong low level winds
are forecast to develop across southeast Oklahoma and western Arkansas
by early evening. As storms develop and move into the more favorable
conditions, tornadic potential will increase. Current forecasts do
suggest the potential for a strong tornado across southeast Oklahoma
through west central Arkansas during the evening hours. Additionally,
large hail and locally damaging straight line winds will be possible,
especially with any discrete storm cells. Severe weather watches and
warnings should be anticipated. Know your severe weather safety procedures.
SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
Activation of the Regional Spotter Network Expected.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.
SATURDAY...High Wind Potential.
SUNDAY through THURSDAY...No Hazards.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION...
Mild temperatures and gusty west to southwest winds will raise
fire weather concerns Saturday. Some light rain or snow will also
be possible in some places late Sunday night, but no significant
wintry precipitation is expected.
weather.gov/tulsa contains additional information.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1139 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1127 PM TSTM WND GST 5 NE JAY 36.47N 94.73W
11/30/2018 M62 MPH DELAWARE OK LAW ENFORCEMENT
REPORTED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AT 360 ROAD AT 690 ROAD.
&&
JBMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1147 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1049 PM TSTM WND GST SILOAM SPRINGS 36.19N 94.54W
11/30/2018 M58 MPH BENTON AR AWOS
&&
RJSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1147 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1137 PM TSTM WND GST SILOAM SPRINGS 36.19N 94.54W
11/30/2018 M58 MPH BENTON AR AWOS
&&
RJSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1155 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1152 PM TSTM WND DMG ALMA 35.48N 94.22W
11/30/2018 CRAWFORD AR FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
TREES DOWN IN A LINE FROM ALMA TO MOUNTAINBURG
&&
RJSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1157 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1152 PM TSTM WND DMG HEAVENER 34.89N 94.60W
11/30/2018 LE FLORE OK EMERGENCY MNGR
ROOF BLOWN OFF HOUSE. MULTIPLE TREES DOWN.
&&
RJSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1158 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1110 PM TSTM WND DMG VAN BUREN 35.44N 94.35W
11/30/2018 CRAWFORD AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
SEVERAL ARKANSAS STATE TROOPERS REPORTED DAMAGE TO HOMES
NEAR VAN BUREN ON OLD UNION TOWN ROAD AND BOND SPECIAL
ROAD. ONE HOUSE WAS REPORTED ON FIRE. TIME ESTIMATED FROM
RADAR DATA.
&&
SJCThe Springfield radar (KSGF), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:10 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong thunderstorm wind damaged hangars at the Carroll County Airport and uprooted trees.
Strong thunderstorm wind damaged a boat dock on Lake Leatherwood.
Strong thunderstorm wind uprooted trees.
Strong thunderstorm wind uprooted trees and damaged outbuildings.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, December 2018
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: 791703, 791705, 791704, 791706.