A complex of showers and thunderstorms shifted southeast into Southeast Oklahoma, Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas, and Northwest Louisiana during the morning hours of August 5th, along a weak upper level shortwave trough that progressed southeast over Arkansas. While these showers and thunderstorms gradually weakened as they moved southeast across East Texas and Northwest Louisiana in…
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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 SHV wrote it up.
A complex of showers and thunderstorms shifted southeast into Southeast Oklahoma, Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas, and Northwest Louisiana during the morning hours of August 5th, along a weak upper level shortwave trough that progressed southeast over Arkansas. While these showers and thunderstorms gradually weakened as they moved southeast across East Texas and Northwest Louisiana in response to weakening instability over these areas, lightning struck a groundskeeper at the Henderson Country Club in Central Rusk County. Fortunately, the male victim suffered only minor injuries and was released from the hospital the next day.
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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 5, 5:19 AM CST, 2 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Shreveport LA 619 AM CDT Wed Aug 5 2020 .AVIATION... As expected, convection continues to fire along an elevated boundary across NE TX and a weakness aloft across Oklahoma in northwest flow. These two ingredients along with a northward moving moisture plume should result in increasing storm coverage as we go through the morning hours in the vicinity of all terminals with the exception of the ELD and MLU terminals. Should see ceilings remaining VFR even with in and out convection but a brief reduction in VSBY cannot be ruled out. Should see coverage beginning to decrease late this afternoon into the evening hours. Could see a repeat of overnight convection late tonight across our airspace but coverage should not be what we have seen upstream of our airspace this morning. Therefore, made no mention of this possibility in the 12z TAF package for now. 13 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 303 AM CDT Wed Aug 5 2020/ SHORT TERM.../Today through Thursday/ Subtle signals coming together for a descent chance of showers and thunderstorms across our western half today. Looking upstream at regional radar mosaic, seeing scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms increasing in coverage and intensity across the OK/TX Pndl region into portions of Central OK. This is tied to a weak shortwave embedded in northwest flow aloft located to the northeast of high pressure aloft which is anchored across the Four Corners Region of the country. Descent 850mb low level jet feeding this activity to the tune of 30kts or so across the TX Hill Country but the key to this activity holding together as it moves our way will be returning 850mb thetae advection which will be increasing beyond 12z this morning across the Middle Red River Valley of NE TX/SE OK into extreme SW AR and NW LA. This returning elevated boundary also marks the leading edge of returning PWATs to the tune of 1.5-1.7in in the lowest 400mb. All this to say...have increased pops to low end likely variety across portions of our NE TX counties with a sharp gradient from chance pops to nil pops across extreme NW LA into SW AR. SPC has outlooked our southwest third in a marginal threat for strong to severe thunderstorms and this will be tied to daytime heating and increasing low level dewpoints with the greatest instability expected to be mainly south of the I-20 Corridor which includes the Lower Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn Country of Deep East Texas into West Central LA. The rain chances and increasing cloud cover should help to taper temps somewhat and therefore have gone below NBM temps today, closer to a MAV/MET MOS blend. Overnight, it appears the upper level ridge will begin to slowly eject eastward into the TX Hill Country but we will remain on the eastern flank of this anticyclone and there may be just enough of a weakness in this flow tied to 850-700mb thetae advection for slight chance to low end chance pops late tonight, again across mainly the western half of our region. Kept this pop origination going through Thu morning as well with only isolated to slight chance variety pops across our western 2/3rds by afternoon as the upper level ridge axis to our west begins to expand eastward. Should see much warmer temperatures on Thu compared to today with less storm coverage and more influence of the ridge out west. 13 LONG TERM.../Thursday Night through Tuesday Night/ An upper ridge that will come to dominate our weather through much of the long term period will be centered over West Texas by Thursday night. A shortwave trough on the northeast periphery of the ridge will help to initiate nocturnal showers and thunderstorms in a zone of isentropic ascent over Eastern Kansas and Northeast Oklahoma. Some of this activity may move into Southeast Oklahoma and adjacent portions of Southwest Arkansas before weakening during the early afternoon hours of Friday. After Friday, rain chances will transition back to isolated diurnal sea breeze convection south of Interstate 20 through the remainder of the next week. The ridge will continue to build eastward and overhead. With the reduction in rain chances, temperatures will gradually climb. The ridge should weaken somewhat by early next week. However, low-level southerly flow will increase in response to a developing lee trough over the High Plains. This will bring a gradual increase in moisture and humidity. Combined with the rising air temperatures, heat index values may climb above criteria across much of the eastern half of the forecast area by Saturday, where the highest humidity levels will be located. On the flip side, the increased southerly flow and increased moisture may help to enhance diurnal rain chances from the sea breeze early next week. CN && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 88 72 92 74 / 30 20 30 0 MLU 90 68 93 70 / 10 10 10 0 DEQ 84 67 89 72 / 40 30 30 10 TXK 86 69 89 72 / 30 20 30 0 ELD 87 67 91 70 / 10 10 10 0 TYR 88 74 96 76 / 60 30 20 0 GGG 87 72 94 74 / 60 30 30 0 LFK 93 75 97 75 / 50 30 30 0 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. LA...None. OK...None. TX...None. && 13/13/CN
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Shreveport LA 546 AM CDT Wed Aug 5 2020 ARZ050-051-059-060-070-071-LAZ001>003-010>012-017-018-OKZ077- TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-061115- Sevier-Howard-Little River-Hempstead-Miller-Lafayette-Caddo- Bossier-Webster-De Soto-Red River-Bienville-Sabine-Natchitoches- McCurtain-Bowie-Franklin-Titus-Camp-Morris-Cass-Wood-Upshur- Marion-Smith-Gregg-Harrison-Cherokee-Rusk-Panola-Nacogdoches- Shelby-Angelina-San Augustine- 546 AM CDT Wed Aug 5 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southwest Arkansas, northwest Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma, east Texas and northeast Texas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight... Thunderstorms are likely today and this afternoon. While severe weather is not expected, some of the storms may produce brief gusty winds, locally heavy rainfall, and frequent lightning. The storms should end by late this afternoon. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday... Another round of thunderstorms is expected to move southeast into the area early Thursday morning, but are expected to weaken during the afternoon hours. Additional thunderstorms will be possible across Southeast Oklahoma and Southwest Arkansas during the day Friday. For Saturday through Tuesday, isolated to scattered thunderstorms will be possible mainly across Louisiana and Deep East Texas during peak daytime heating in the afternoon. Severe weather is not anticipated at this time. Temperatures and humidity levels will gradually increase over the next week. Heat index values over 105 degrees will be possible across much of the area beginning on Saturday and continuing into early next week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Activation of emergency management personnel...amateur radio operators...and storm spotters is not anticipated through through tonight. Please relay any information about observed severe weather to the NWS while following all local, state, and CDC guidelines. ARZ061-072-073-LAZ004>006-013-014-019>022-061115- Nevada-Columbia-Union-Claiborne-Lincoln-Jackson-Ouachita-Winn- Grant-Caldwell-La Salle- 546 AM CDT Wed Aug 5 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of south central Arkansas, southwest Arkansas, north central Louisiana and northwest Louisiana. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight... No hazardous weather is expected through tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday... Another round of thunderstorms is expected to move southeast into the area early Thursday morning, but are expected to weaken during the afternoon hours. Additional thunderstorms will be possible across Southeast Oklahoma and Southwest Arkansas during the day Friday. For Saturday through Tuesday, isolated to scattered thunderstorms will be possible mainly across Louisiana and Deep East Texas during peak daytime heating in the afternoon. Severe weather is not anticipated at this time. Temperatures and humidity levels will gradually increase over the next week. Heat index values over 105 degrees will be possible across much of the area beginning on Saturday and continuing into early next week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Activation of emergency management personnel...amateur radio operators...and storm spotters will not be needed through tonight. Please relay any information about observed severe weather to the NWS while following all local, state, and CDC guidelines. 09
The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:26 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A 54 year old male groundskeeper was struck by lightning near a shed at the Henderson Country Club in Henderson. The lightning entered his head and came out through his left hand and leg. The victim suffered only minor injuries, and was released from the hospital the next day.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 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: 899898.