A decaying multi-cell thunderstorm complex caused moderate to heavy rain to train over portions of northeast Arkansas during the morning hours of May 17th.
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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 decaying multi-cell thunderstorm complex caused moderate to heavy rain to train over portions of northeast Arkansas during the morning hours of May 17th.
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 May 17, 5:44 AM CST, 2 hours 46 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Memphis TN 644 AM CDT Thu May 17 2018 .UPDATE... Updated for 12Z Aviation Forecast Discussion below. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 403 AM CDT Thu May 17 2018/ DISCUSSION...Surface analysis this morning places a quasi- stationary boundary bisecting Arkansas and into Southeast Missouri. GOES-16 Satellite trends along with regional WSR-88D trends indicate yesterday's residual Mesoscale Convective Vortex (MCV) centered just east of Little Rock. Showers and thunderstorms have increased somewhat in coverage over Arkansas overnight. As of 3 AM CDT, temperatures across the Mid-South are predominantly in the 60s with a few locations in the lower 70s. The aforementioned MCV will slowly move east today across the Lower Mississippi Valley and into the Mid-South. Short term models including CAM solutions indicate scattered showers and thunderstorms becoming more numerous this afternoon as this MCV interacts with a warm, moist and unstable airmass. Overall shear remains weak with convective development leaning towards thunderstorms with pulse type characteristics. A few strong thunderstorms with perhaps an isolated severe thunderstorm will be possible especially this afternoon through early evening with damaging winds being the primary severe weather threat if thunderstorms can reach severe limits. Localized heavy rainfall will also be possible as precipitable water values are approaching 2 inches. Short term models indicate an upper level low over Northeast Kansas will gradually move Southeast towards East Central Missouri/Southern Illinois by Friday night. Additional showers and thunderstorms are possible especially during the afternoon/early evening peak heating but expecting coverage to decrease somewhat for Friday into Saturday as better convective coverage will be mostly northeast of the forecast area and weak shortwave ridging temporarily builds into the Lower Mississippi Valley. Long term models indicate an unsettled pattern will return to the region for next week starting out with southwest upper level flow aloft and the potential for showers and thunderstorms each day, especially during the afternoon/early evening hours. Potential may increase for perhaps the development of MCS's later next week as upper level flow transitions to northwest flow aloft and a weak front drops into the Lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys and becomes nearly quasi-stationary. CJC && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFs Midlevel low pressure system centered northeast of LIT at 12Z will lift slowly east today. Ahead of this feature, scattered to numerous SHRA will form, with TSRA chances peaking during the afternoon. Diurnal weakening and coverage decrease expected with loss of surface heating this evening, with scattered, mainly SHRA and light winds prevailing for MEM late evening arrival push. Similar to this morning, IFR will likely affect MKL and TUP after 06Z, with high humidity and calm winds in the boundary layer. Overlying midlevel deck may preclude VLIFR visibilities from prevailing at those two terminals. PWB && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Memphis TN 407 AM CDT Thu May 17 2018 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>092-181200- 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- 407 AM CDT Thu May 17 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of East Arkansas... the Missouri Bootheel...North Mississippi...and West Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A few strong thunderstorms to perhaps an isolated severe thunderstorm is possible this afternoon into early evening across the Mid-South. Damaging winds along with localized heavy rainfall are the threats if a thunderstorm develops and reaches severe limits. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:32 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Six inches of water flooded the intersection of County Road 323 and 324 northeast of Bono.
State Road 141 closed near Walcott due to flooding.
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, May 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: 753962, 753964.