Numerous supercell thunderstorms developed late in the evening on April 25th along a warm front extending from southern Oklahoma into western Arkansas, well ahead of an advancing cold front and dry line upstream over the Texas/Oklahoma panhandles. The environment farther downstream across Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas, and Northern Louisiana was very unstable and strongly sheared.
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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.
Numerous supercell thunderstorms developed late in the evening on April 25th along a warm front extending from southern Oklahoma into western Arkansas, well ahead of an advancing cold front and dry line upstream over the Texas/Oklahoma panhandles. The environment farther downstream across Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas, and Northern Louisiana was very unstable and strongly sheared. This environment favored a continuation of severe thunderstorms and the potential for new supercell development. Nocturnal low-level cooling and capping were increasing, which generally kept the primary threat as large hail. However, given the persistent low-level shear, any surface-based thunderstorms also had the potential to produce some isolated damaging wind gusts. As a result, numerous reports of large and even very large hail were documented across Howard and Hempstead Counties in addition to damaging wind gusts.
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 Apr 25, 6:02 PM CST, 3 hours 36 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Shreveport LA 702 PM CDT Sat Apr 25 2026 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 136 AM CDT Sat Apr 25 2026 - Severe weather round two is expected late Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning with this next round potentially more impactful than Friday night's event. - The area of greatest concern with this next round is again along and north of I-30 where an Enhanced to Moderate Risk is highlighted for the threat of significant hail and tornadoes. - The forecast will remain largely unsettled into next week, but we may see a brief lull in convection early in the week before rain chances increase once again by mid to late week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 1146 AM CDT Sat Apr 25 2026 Recent hi-res model guidance has the main round of convective initiation occurring along an OK warm front this evening, northwest of McCurtain Co, OK. These storms are expected to move southeastward into the Ark-La-Tx this evening and continue through the overnight hours. An increasingly unstable environment will be building this afternoon, which increases the concern for severe weather impacts, especially in our northwest zones. Large hail (possibly exceeding 3 inches), damaging wind gusts, and some strong tornadoes will all be possible for the region. SPC's outlook highlights our northwestern zones as being the highest risk for severe hazards due to the favorable environment and the storm mode leaning toward supercells. The storms are expected to morph into more of a QLCS as it moves into Deep East TX, northwest LA, and southern AR later in the night with the loss of daytime heating. A marginal risk still exists for much of these areas due to the risk of severe wind gusts that this line could still be capable of. Due to this event occurring in the evening and overnight hours, be sure you have multiple ways to receive weather information and be woken up, if necessary. There may still be some lingering convection from Saturday night that bleeds into Sunday morning and clear by midday. The sfc southerly flow that has been funneling in moisture over recent days will continue to help keep us warm, with many places seeing afternoon highs in the mid to upper 80s for the first half of the work week. A continuously active pattern will keep rain chances in the forecast through the end of the week. SPC has a portion of the forecast area included in 3 of the next 4 outlooks, highlighting the potential for more severe weather to be included with the additional rainfall. More detail will come with future forecasts, but expect a warm and rainy next few days. The added rain will hopefully work to help the drought conditions across the region and bring high temperatures back into the 70s by the end of the week. 57 && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 632 PM CDT Sat Apr 25 2026 For the 26/00Z TAF update, a lingering round of -TSRA/SHRA will pass through the airspace from 26/06Z through 26/18Z, producing MVFR vis/cigs as a result in this timeframe. Surface winds will remain out of the south, gaining speed to near 10 kts through the end of the period. /16/ && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Issued at 136 AM CDT Sat Apr 25 2026 Spotter activation will likely be needed late Saturday afternoon through Saturday night and early Sunday for the threat of severe thunderstorms. /19/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 68 89 71 90 / 50 30 10 20 MLU 67 88 70 90 / 40 50 10 10 DEQ 61 83 67 84 / 80 30 30 30 TXK 66 86 71 87 / 70 40 20 30 ELD 63 85 68 87 / 70 50 20 20 TYR 71 88 72 88 / 40 20 10 20 GGG 69 88 71 88 / 50 40 10 20 LFK 70 89 71 90 / 20 10 0 20 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. LA...None. OK...None. TX...None. && DISCUSSION...57 AVIATION...16
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
811 PM CDT Sat Apr 25 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1125 PM Hail 4 SE Longview 32.47N 94.72W
04/24/2026 M1.00 Inch Gregg TX Public
Delayed Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00
in.).
&&
BBSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
1032 PM CDT Sat Apr 25 2026
ARZ051-060-260400-
Hempstead AR-Howard AR-
1032 PM CDT Sat Apr 25 2026
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTH CENTRAL HEMPSTEAD AND EAST
CENTRAL HOWARD COUNTIES UNTIL 11 PM CDT...
At 1032 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Center Point, or 8 miles southeast of Dierks, moving east at 20 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and nickel 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...
Nashville, Dierks, Corinth, Center Point and Muddy Fork.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening
weather conditions.
This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.
&&
LAT...LON 3401 9403 3420 9400 3417 9382 3401 9382
3401 9375 3400 9374 3400 9371 3399 9370
3398 9368 3398 9366 3391 9368
TIME...MOT...LOC 0332Z 279DEG 17KT 3406 9391
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
13The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 151 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:36 UTC.
6 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple trees downed along Yorks Chapel Road near Highway 355. There were also some chicken houses damaged near Ferguson Road.
Ping pong ball size hail reported north of Nashville, via Mping.
Multiple trees downed and some property damage reported west of Nashville.
Quarter size hail reported along U.S. Highway 371 just east of Nashville.
Golf ball size hail reported in the town of Ozan.
Multiple trees downed near South Fork Lake on the Rick Evans Grandview Prairie Wildlife Management Area.
Numerous trees downed along and near County Road 14 and County Road 306 east of Columbus.
Ping pong ball size hail reported just north of Washington.
Baseball size hail reported in Hope.
Hen egg size hail reported in Hope.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, April 2026
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: 1332344, 1332338, 1332345, 1332339, 1332340, 1332346, 1332347, 1332341, 1332342, 1332343.