As of 100 pm CDT, there were no storms yet. A sounding (temperature and dewpoint profile with height) revealed plenty of instability, and it was just a matter of time before the fireworks began.
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 LZK wrote it up.
As of 100 pm CDT, there were no storms yet. A sounding (temperature and dewpoint profile with height) revealed plenty of instability, and it was just a matter of time before the fireworks began. There was also a lot of dry air aloft, and forecasters knew this would likely lead to very large hail. Low level moisture driven into this dry environment overhead would create a lot of evaporation/cooling, making it easy for ice to form.
Between 230 pm and 330 pm CDT, thunderstorms developed rapidly in northwest and west central Arkansas. South and east, hen egg to tennis ball size hail occurred near Botkinburg (Van Buren County) and south of Joan (Clark County), and golf ball size stones occurred in Shirley (Van Buren County) and northwest of Tag (Pope County).
A 66 mph wind gust was measured at Newport (Jackson County), with a 61 mph gust at McCreanor (Lonoke County), and a gust to 60 mph at Russellville (Pope County). At College City (Lawrence County) and Little Rock (Pulaski County), 56 mph gusts were recorded.
Trees were toppled at Conway (Faulkner County), northeast of Russellville (Pope County), Swifton (Jackson County), Walnut Ridge (Lawrence County), and northwest of Wilburn (Cleburne County). Outbuildings were damaged east of Jerusalem (Conway County).
Much cooler air followed the storms. By 500 pm CST, temperatures were in the 50s and 60s across much of northern and western Arkansas. At Little Rock (Pulaski County), the thermometer showed 81 degrees at 555 pm CST. Fifteen minutes later, the mercury dropped to 60 degrees! In addition, 1.71 inches of rain fell in an hour (ending at 653 pm CST). While this was a lot of precipitation in a short time locally, most locations did not receive nearly this much liquid (quarter to three quarter inch totals were common).
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:29 UTC.
30 hail, 9 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A storm spotter reported 1.75 inch hail 9 miles northwest of Hector, AR...or 3 miles northwest of Tag.
The report was received via mPING.
A social media report was received of estimated pea to quarter size hail in Woodland.
The report was received via mPING.
This corrects the previous thunderstorm wind damage report from 3 northeast of Russellville Regional Airport. Large trees were blown down and roots pulled from the ground.
There was damage to outbuildings east of Jerusalem.
A picture of a large hailstone was seen on social media with no measurement reference in the photo.
A social media post showed trees and powerlines down over a road in addition to a tree on a shed.
A large tree was blown down on a building. This was a delayed report.
Trees and powerlines were down in Swifton. Gusts were estimated at 60-70 mph.
Trees were down in Walnut Ridge.
This is a correction to a previous non-thunderstorm wind gust report from 3 S McCreanor. A personal weather station measured 61 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, April 2023
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: 1093468, 1093469, 1093470, 1093471, 1093472, 1093473, 1093474, 1093475, 1093476, 1093477, 1093478, 1093479, 1093480, 1093481, 1093482, 1093483, 1093484, 1093671, 1093672, 1093673, 1093674, 1093675, 1093676, 1093677, 1093678, 1093679, 1093680, 1093681, 1093682, 1093683, 1093684, 1093685, 1093686, 1093687, 1093688, 1093689, 1093690, 1093691, 1093692.