A shortwave trough diving southeast across Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas in the northwest flow aloft during the evening through the early morning hours of May 7th-8th, enhanced large scale forcing ahead of an attendant cold front, resulting in a complex of showers and thunderstorms to develop near and ahead of the front. This mesoscale convective system, or MCS, quickly shifted southeast…
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 SHV wrote it up.
A shortwave trough diving southeast across Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas in the northwest flow aloft during the evening through the early morning hours of May 7th-8th, enhanced large scale forcing ahead of an attendant cold front, resulting in a complex of showers and thunderstorms to develop near and ahead of the front. This mesoscale convective system, or MCS, quickly shifted southeast into Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest Arkansas, Northeast Texas, and North Louisiana during the early morning hours of May 8th, strengthening as it encountered greater instability and a strong southerly low level jet. This resulted in the development of severe thunderstorms containing damaging winds, triggering numerous reports of wind damage across these areas. In addition, strong surface winds with gusts up to 50 mph ahead of the complex of showers and thunderstorms also downed several trees given the wet antecedent soil moisture conditions in place from above normal rainfall observed since the start of the year. These storms exited Northeast Texas prior to daybreak on the 8th.
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 May 7, 8:26 PM CST, 2 hours 16 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Shreveport LA 926 PM CDT Thu May 7 2020 .UPDATE... Still awaiting upper level forcing to help generate scattered convection across Central and Southwest Oklahoma which will eventually become our weather maker late tonight near and to the northwest of the Interstate 30 Corridor. Latest high res guidance suggests that this will begin occurring closer to midnight with this convection likely not moving into our region until closer the 2-4 am window. Sfc based instability is non-existent across our region but MUCAPE values in excess of 2000G/KG suggest that these storms will be fueled by a vigorous low level jet with progs supporting values in excess of 50kts across the I-35 Corridor. Thus, this convection, once it forms and begins accelerating into our northwest zones will support a damaging wind and/or hail threat through the predawn hours. With the latest guidance coming in, looks like the strongest of these storms should stay north of the Interstate 20 Corridor of NE TX and N LA through 12z Fri and therefore have left the fcst pop coverage overnight unchanged. Also, overnight low temps are in the ballpark so no changes necessary in this department either. 13 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 505 PM CDT Thu May 7 2020/ AVIATION... VFR conditions currently prevailing across all our terminal locations late this afternoon and those conditions should hold out through a majority of the evening hours as we await a complex of storms to move out of the Plains and into our airspace later tonight. Boundary layer moisture saturation could begin as early as late evening at the LFK terminal but should begin to see MVFR ceilings spreading northward, encompassing at least the LFK/TYR/GGG terminals in the 04z-09z timeframe. Have introduced VCTS to all terminal locations with the exception of the LFK terminal between 06z and 12z on Fri with TEMPO TSRA, MVFR ceilings and VRB wind gusts to account for a narrow line of convection expected to move from northwest to southeast through our airspace near and after 12z on Fri. Could see redevelopment by late morning through the afternoon along the true cold front across our southeast airspace by late morning through the afternoon hours as well so accounted for this with VCTS mention a little later in the aftn at the ELD/LFK terminals. SE to S winds 8-12kts with higher gusts across our NE TX terminal locations overnight will become southwesterly in advance of the cold front that should move through our airspace during the day Friday. Post frontal winds will be sustained near 10-15kts with gusts upwards of 25kts at times with a very tight post frontal pressure gradient in place. 13 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 66 76 51 70 / 40 80 10 10 MLU 62 77 48 69 / 20 80 10 10 DEQ 60 72 44 68 / 100 30 0 0 TXK 63 72 47 68 / 90 50 0 0 ELD 61 74 45 68 / 60 80 0 0 TYR 66 74 50 72 / 50 70 0 10 GGG 65 76 50 71 / 40 80 0 10 LFK 67 80 54 73 / 20 60 10 10 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. LA...None. OK...None. TX...None. && 13/13
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Shreveport LA 246 PM CDT Thu May 7 2020 ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077- TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-082000- Sevier-Howard-Little River-Hempstead-Nevada-Miller-Lafayette- Columbia-Union-Caddo-Bossier-Webster-Claiborne-Lincoln-De Soto- Red River-Bienville-Jackson-Ouachita-Sabine-Natchitoches-Winn- Grant-Caldwell-La Salle-McCurtain-Bowie-Franklin-Titus-Camp- Morris-Cass-Wood-Upshur-Marion-Smith-Gregg-Harrison-Cherokee-Rusk- Panola-Nacogdoches-Shelby-Angelina-San Augustine- 246 PM CDT Thu May 7 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of south central Arkansas, southwest Arkansas, north central Louisiana, northwest Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma, east Texas and northeast Texas. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight... A few showers and isolated thunderstorms will be possible a little before midnight for areas along and west of a line from Tyler to Texarkana to Hope. Then a line of thunderstorms will develop overnight along a cold front moving into the region. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday... A line of showers and thunderstorms will progress southeast across the region along a cold front by early Friday morning and through the remainder of the day. Strong to severe thunderstorms capable of producing large hail and damaging winds will be possible. In addition, high rainfall rates could lead so some isolated flash flooding. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Activation of emergency management personnel...amateur radio operators...and storm spotters may be needed tonight and Friday.
The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:36 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind, 4 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
One inch tree limbs were broken from gradient wind gusts. A few shingles were also blown off of a home two miles northeast of Yantis. Report from mPING.
Strong gradient winds downed trees on Highway 323 about 2 miles east of Highway 42 and also on FM 225 north of Laneville.
Strong gradient winds downed trees all throughout Rusk County including FM 225, FM 1798, CR 4137, Highway 43 East, FM 95, Highway 315, CR 368 East, CR 4255, FM 2011 and FM 5081.
Several trees were uprooted, power lines were downed, and barn roofs were damaged on FM 195 near the Addielou community.
Strong gradient winds caused a large tree to fall onto a truck and a corner of a home along Highway 80 about a mile west of Loop 390 near Marshall.
One inch tree limbs were broken off. A few shingles were blown off of a home. Report from mPING.
A tree fell onto a home on East Hiram Street.
Several trees and power lines were downed across Cass County.
Trees were downed on FM 1519, CR 4321, and CR 1110.
Trees and power lines were downed in the Southern and Eastern sections of Upshur County.
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, May 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: 883649, 883650, 883658, 883651, 883652, 883653, 883654, 883655, 883656, 883657.