A cold front pushed into the Mid-South during the afternoon and evening hours on July 5, 2023. The front interacted with an unstable airmass favorable for producing strong downdrafts.
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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 MEG wrote it up.
A cold front pushed into the Mid-South during the afternoon and evening hours on July 5, 2023. The front interacted with an unstable airmass favorable for producing strong downdrafts. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed along the front as it moved into areas along and north of I-40. A few of the storms produced damaging winds.
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 Jul 5, 2:06 PM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Memphis TN 306 PM CDT Wed Jul 5 2023 ...New SYNOPSIS, DISCUSSION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 306 PM CDT Wed Jul 5 2023 A few strong to severe storms are possible this afternoon and evening ahead of a cold front. Damaging winds are the primary threat. After the cold front moves through Thursday, cooler temperatures and drier air will provide a brief relief before a warming trend begins. The aforementioned cold front will stall out and leave diurnally driven showers and thunderstorms possible each day of the forecast period. && .DISCUSSION... (This evening through next Tuesday) Issued at 306 PM CDT Wed Jul 5 2023 A Marginal Risk for severe weather is set for this afternoon and evening ahead of a cold front. As of 3pm CDT, these storms are crossing into our CWA's NE AR counties. Similar to the past few days, environmental parameters with high SBCAPE values exceeding 3000 J/kg, lower 0-6km shear values <20 kts, DCAPE >1000 J/kg, near dry adiabatic lapse rates, and PW values ~1.8" suggest more linear storm mode with the threats of damaging winds, strong downdrafts, and locally heavy rainfall. With the abundance of moisture, fog development is possible after showers conclude. Drier air behind the front will result in less humid conditions and seasonable temperatures late week. The aforementioned cold front is anticipated to stall over the Mid-South Thursday afternoon and looks to linger for several days. This stalling will leave diurnally driven showers and thunderstorms in the forecast each day this period. Another low pressure system will spin up and force the existing front out of the region. This looks to occur on Sunday which brings the next chance of widespread coverage and a warming trend to the Mid-South. DNM && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1239 PM CDT Wed Jul 5 2023 Lingering MVFR ceilings will continue at TUP for the next hour or so. Otherwise, the main issue will be convection this afternoon into the evening hours as a frontal boundary moves into the area. VCTS remarks were retained at all sites with TEMPO groups for TSRA at JBR...MEM...and MKL. Locally reduced ceilings and vsbys may occur with any storm that directly impacts the terminals. Guidance suggests some MVFR ceilings may build back into TUP towards daybreak and have accounted for this in the latest forecast. Winds through the period will generally be less than 8 knots outside of thunderstorms. Chances for showers and thunderstorms increase again Thursday but will not introduce into the tafs at this time. && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. && PUBLIC FORECAST...DNM AVIATION...TAB
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Memphis TN
347 PM CDT Wed Jul 5 2023
ARZ009-018-052130-
Greene AR-Clay AR-
347 PM CDT Wed Jul 5 2023
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northern Greene and
western Clay Counties through 430 PM CDT...
At 347 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Pocahontas, moving east at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Corning, Marmaduke, Lafe, Reyno, Knobel, O'Kean, McDougal, Peach
Orchard, Delaplaine, Evening Star, Beech Grove, Heelstring,
Stonewall, Tipperary, Hickoria, Case, Brookings and Knob.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3644 9038 3617 9034 3616 9081 3629 9081
3629 9079 3630 9079 3628 9078 3629 9077
3628 9075 3638 9075
TIME...MOT...LOC 2047Z 263DEG 22KT 3625 9087
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
SWBThe Memphis radar (KNQA), 120 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:19 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A large tree was knocked down in Piggott.
A tree was knocked down on to powerlines on Marr Avenue in Blytheville.
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, July 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: 1119903, 1119904.