Arkansas, 2022

Hail in Arkansas, April 30, 2022

April 30, 2022 · NWS MEG · 4 events in 1 county or zone

A cold front moving across the Mid-South produced severe thunderstorms causing large hail and damaging wind.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MEG wrote it up.

A cold front moving across the Mid-South produced severe thunderstorms causing large hail and damaging wind.

What forecasters said that 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 Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 7:56 PM CST, 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 7:56 PM CST, 4 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Memphis TN
856 PM CDT Sat Apr 30 2022

.UPDATE...
Strong to severe storms will continue to move across portions of
the forecast area tonight as a cold front moves through the
region. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect for a large
portion of the CWA. We will continue to monitor the situation over
the next several hours, but stay weather aware overnight as these
storms move through. Made only a few minor adjustments to the
forecast this evening. An active pattern then sets up next week
with daily rain chances.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 641 PM CDT Sat Apr 30 2022/

Primary short term forecast concern remains thunderstorms this
evening, a few of which could reach severe limits.

Midafternoon GOES water vapor imagery showed a large closed low
centered over northwest IA. Surface analysis showed a 996mb
occluded low centered the upper low. A cold front extended from
an occlusion triple point near Chicago, southwest through AR and
northeast TX. A colocated low level theta-e and instability axis
extended from the Arklatex into north central AR and south
southeast MO. Despited extensive low to midlevel stratocumulus,
mixed-layer CAPE over north central AR had reached 1500 J/KG at
midafternoon. The presence of the clouds was likely providing
enough convective inhibition to preclude storm development.
Downstream, mostly sunny skies prevailed over over west TN and
north MS, though dewpoints and mixed layer CAPE were considerably
lower, CINH considerably higher. It wasn't until 19Z / 2 PM CDT
that flat cumulus had formed in the Memphis area, with relatively
low dewpoints in the upper 50s.

As we head into early evening, midlevel height falls and eastward
translation of the low level moisture axis will likely drive
convective initiation along and west of the MS River. This will
likely occur where cloud breaks allow can develop. Early evening
instability and modest (around 30 KT) bulk shear will support a
marginal severe hail and damaging wind threat. Post sunset,
waning instability, and lack of a clear surface convergence
feature should result in decreasing intensity and coverage of
storms. This downward convective trend will continue from late
evening through the overnight frontal passage time.

The surface cold front will likely wash out over north MS by
Sunday morning, becoming rather ill-defined under zonal flow
aloft. An amplifying shortwave ridge axis will shift east of the
Midsouth by Monday morning, displaced by diffluent flow ahead of
a ahead of a negatively-tilted upper low in the central plains.
The aforementioned stalled front will race north through the
Midsouth as warm front on Monday, reaching the mid-MS river valley
by afternoon. It appears that a lead shortwave will eject across
the southern plains into the Ozarks Monday morning, driving
thunderstorm development into the Midsouth Monday afternoon.

The remainder of next week appears unsettled, with a progressive
pattern the "wave train" continuing. Difficult to pick a day next
week where rain chances fall below mentionable levels.

PWB

AVIATION...

00Z TAFs

VFR conditions prevail through the evening. Carried VCSH/VCTS as
the cold front passes later this evening into the early morning
hours. MEM may have a brief period of -TSRA between 02Z and 04Z
as the line passes. Most of the convection looks to be based
around 5000ft, so CIGs shouldn't be too much of an issue for all
sites except TUP which could get down to MVFR conditions in the
post-FROPA morning hours. Winds ahead of the front this evening
will generally be from the S/SE around 10kt, potentially gusting
to up to 18kt. As the front passes, winds slow down to around 5kt
along with a shift to the west. By the end of the TAF period,
looks like winds pick back up to 8-10kt from the northwest.

CAD

&&

.MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...None.
MO...None.
MS...None.
TN...None.
&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 30, 12:39 PM CST, 7 hours 21 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service Memphis TN
139 PM CDT Sat Apr 30 2022

ARZ009-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017-
020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>092-012045-
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-
139 PM CDT Sat Apr 30 2022

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of East Arkansas...
the Missouri Bootheel...North Mississippi...and West Tennessee.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight

There is a Slight Risk for severe storms along and west of the
Mississippi River from late afternoon through midevening. Primary
risks include large hail and damaging winds. Secondary threats
include brief tornado and flash flooding.

A Marginal Risk in place to the east for the mid to late evening
hours. During this time, damaging winds and locally heavy rainfall
will be the primary severe weather threats.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday

A few strong to severe storms will be possible Monday night.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed this late this afternoon evening.

PWB

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 30, 6:56 PM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
756 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2022

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0755 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     2 SSE WHEATLEY          34.90N 91.10W
04/30/2022                   LEE                AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS A FUNNEL CLOUD SOUTH
            OF WHEATLEY ALONG HWY 78.

&&

SWB
Local storm report, Apr 30, 7:00 PM CST, 1 hour before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
800 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2022

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0757 PM     HAIL             2 SE WHEATLEY           34.89N 91.08W
04/30/2022  M0.25 INCH       LEE                AR   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lee

When
April 30, 8:00 PM CST to 8:10 PM CST
Where
Lee County, 0.89 mi NW of Holub
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
34.860, -90.910

Walnut-sized hail fell along Highway 261 near Holub Crossing.

Hail, Lee

When
April 30, 8:25 PM CST to 8:35 PM CST
Where
Lee County, 2.76 mi S of Scott Vly
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Amateur Radio
Coordinates
34.690, -90.770

Nickel-sized hail fell along Highway 1 South near County Road 238.

Hail, Lee

When
April 30, 8:38 PM CST to 8:48 PM CST
Where
Lee County, 2.92 mi WSW of Scott Vly
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
Amateur Radio
Coordinates
34.720, -90.820

Golf ball-sized hail fell four miles north of Rondo.

Hail, Lee

When
April 30, 8:47 PM CST to 8:57 PM CST
Where
Lee County, 0.69 mi N of Scott Vly
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
Amateur Radio
Coordinates
34.740, -90.770

Penny-sized hail fell two miles south of Marianna.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, April 2022

Sources

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: 1014244, 1014242, 1014241, 1014243.