A low pressure system moved across the midwest with a trailing cold front stretched south into Arkansas. As the cold front tracked eastward storms developed across central and eastern Arkansas during the late afternoon of March 28, 2020.
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 MEG wrote it up.
A low pressure system moved across the midwest with a trailing cold front stretched south into Arkansas. As the cold front tracked eastward storms developed across central and eastern Arkansas during the late afternoon of March 28, 2020. Increasing instability combined with a good deal of wind shear led to the development of supercells across eastern Arkansas along with a strong tornado near Jonesboro, Arkansas, and another weaker tornado in Greene County, Arkansas. Supercells eventually formed into a line along the Mississippi River and then moved across the remainder of the Mid-South producing wind damage and large hail.
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 Mar 28, 5:52 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Memphis TN 652 PM CDT Sat Mar 28 2020 .UPDATE... Updated for Aviation Forecast Discussion below. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 337 PM CDT Sat Mar 28 2020/ DISCUSSION... Latest surface analysis places a 993mb low pressure system over southwestern Iowa, with a warm front extending eastward through north central Illinois, and a cold front extending southward through western Missouri and into Little Rock, Arkansas. Storms have begun to fire just ahead ahead of the cold front in Central and eastern Arkansas. So far, storms have remained mainly sub- severe, as shear is likely overwhelming the thermodynamic environment. However, the storms are moving into our area, which is moderately unstable with 1500-2000 J/kg of MLCAPE available on tap. A tornado watch has been issued for the majority of Arkansas, including all of eastern Arkansas until 7PM. The main risk with these storms appears to be damaging winds and large hail attm, with a low end tornado threat, as low level helicity is currently below 100 m2/s2. However, the risk for QLCS-type tornadoes will likely increase this evening, as the low level jet picks up and storms organize into quasi linear segments. Ample instability in the 1500-2500 MLCAPE range combined with 0-6 km shear of 80kts, and a coincident 100 kt 500mb jet streak, should be enough for a strong line of storms to maintain through late this evening. The primary risk still appears to be damaging winds with a secondary threat of large hail and short-lived isolated tornadoes. The threat will end after midnight as the front exits northeast Mississippi. A few trailing post-frontal showers are possible overnight as the main trough lifts out of the area. Pacific high pressure will build into the Mid-South for Sunday, leading to dry and pleasant conditions. Expect high temperatures mainly in the upper 60s to lower 70s. High pressure will quickly slide by Monday as another system develops to our southwest. A quick moving shortwave will eject across the Desert Southwest on Monday and make its way into the Texas Panhandle late Monday night. A surface low is expected to develop and track eastward through northern Louisiana and Central Mississippi during the day on Tuesday. This will enhance shower and thunderstorm activity across our area on Monday night and Tuesday. Due to the track of the low, the severe threat will stay to our south and mainly along the Gulf Coast. The system will likely be a heavy rainfall producer for us and that's about it. The surface low is expected to push southeast of the area by late Tuesday night, with Canadian high pressure building into the Mid-South from the northwest. This will lead to a few consecutive days of dry and near normal temperatures. The next weather maker looks to arrive this weekend as a cold front moves across the Mississippi Valley. AC3 && .AVIATION... 00Z TAFs Storms have been slower to translate east than earlier depicted by the short range convection-allowing models. Other than TSRA timing this evening, TAFs remain largely unchanged from the 18Z package. VFR will prevail areawide on Sunday. PWB && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Memphis TN 220 PM CDT Sat Mar 28 2020 ARZ009-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017- 020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>092-292130- 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-Lee AR-Lee MS- Madison-Marshall-McNairy-Mississippi-Monroe-Obion-Panola-Pemiscot- Phillips-Poinsett-Pontotoc-Prentiss-Quitman-Shelby-St. Francis- Tallahatchie-Tate-Tippah-Tipton-Tishomingo-Tunica-Union-Weakley- Yalobusha- 220 PM CDT Sat Mar 28 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of East Arkansas... the Missouri Bootheel...North Mississippi...and West Tennessee. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight A tornado watch is in effect until 7PM CDT for all of eastern Arkansas. Additional convective watches are possible downstream later tonight. Severe thunderstorms containing damaging winds, large hail, and a few tornadoes are possible beginning early this evening through approximately midnight for the entire Mid-South. The greatest threat for severe thunderstorms will exist mainly along and north of the I-40 corridor. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is possible this afternoon and evening. AC3
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
542 PM CDT SAT MAR 28 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0530 PM TORNADO CALDWELL 35.08N 90.82W
03/28/2020 ST. FRANCIS AR BROADCAST MEDIA
TORNADO ON GROUND IN GREENE COUNTY APPROX 6 MILES NW OF
CALDWELL.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
551 PM CDT SAT MAR 28 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0457 PM TSTM WND DMG JONESBORO 35.82N 90.69W
03/28/2020 CRAIGHEAD AR EMERGENCY MNGR
EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AT A SHOPPING MALL AND OTHER
BUILDINGS. POSSIBLE INJURIES.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
554 PM CDT SAT MAR 28 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0530 PM TORNADO CARDWELL 36.05N 90.29W
03/28/2020 DUNKLIN MO BROADCAST MEDIA
TORNADO ON GROUND IN GREENE COUNTY APPROX 6 MILES NW OF
CARDWELL MO.
&&
CORRECTED COUNTY/STATE...LOCATION...REMARKSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
643 PM CDT SAT MAR 28 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0513 PM TSTM WND DMG JONESBORO 35.82N 90.69W
03/28/2020 CRAIGHEAD AR EMERGENCY MNGR
SEVERAL HANGARS AND PLANES DAMAGED AT JONESBORO
MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. SEVERE DAMAGE IN DOWNTOWN JONESBORO.
CARS FLIPPED AND BUILDINGS DAMAGED. POSSIBLE INJURIES.
&&
CORRECTED REMARKSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
702 PM CDT SAT MAR 28 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0701 PM FUNNEL CLOUD EARLE 35.27N 90.47W
03/28/2020 CRITTENDEN AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR EARLE MOVING NORTHEAST.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
715 PM CDT SAT MAR 28 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0713 PM FUNNEL CLOUD ROBINSONVILLE 34.82N 90.32W
03/28/2020 TUNICA MS LAW ENFORCEMENT
FUNNEL CLOUD SPOTTED OVER TUNICA RIVERPARK
ROBINSONVILLE MS.
&&The Memphis radar (KNQA), 23 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:02 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A few trees were knocked down across eastern Shelby County.
Straight-line winds uprooted trees east of Ripley.
Straight-line winds knocked down a few trees around Fayette County. The damage was mostly focused on Oakland. Winds broke 12 power poles in Oakland with multiple power lines down.
Power lines were knocked down in Fairview.
Straight-line winds knocked a tree down on to a house on Pleasant Springs Road near Chickasaw State Park. Power lines were knocked down also.
A spotter measured a 65 mph gust. Trees were knocked down on Highway 104 North.
Trees were knocked down in Puryear.
Several trees and power lines were knocked down in Holladay.
Trees and power lines were knocked down across Henderson County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, March 2020
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: 882839, 882845, 882848, 882852, 882858, 882859, 882992, 883014, 883015.