Thunderstorm Wind in Stone County, Arkansas

A report from a truck driver driving along Hwy. 263 through Fox witnessed trees being blown down along the highway in the town of Fox.

Cooling took place overhead during the early morning hours of the 5th, and this allowed scattered severe thunderstorms to pop up in northern Arkansas. Straight-line wind estimated at 75 to 85 mph roughed up homes and barns around Sydney (Sharp County). Tennis ball size hail occurred at Ash Flat (Sharp County), with hen egg size stones at Cherokee Village (Fulton/Sharp Counties).

After sunrise, a line of showers and strong to severe thunderstorms surged through the state from the west. This happened as a powerful storm system in the upper Midwest dragged a cold front across the region. Trees were blown down near Center Ridge (Conway County) and Fox (Stone County).

The front eventually stalled along the Gulf Coast. North of the front, areas of heavy rain were noted in southeast Arkansas through the overnight hours of the 5th and into the 6th. More than three inches of precipitation dumped in places, including Cane Creek State Park (Lincoln County) and Monticello (Drew County). At the latter location, a portion of Highway 278 was closed due to flooding. Conditions were much cooler, with temperatures largely in the 50s at 100 pm CDT on the 6th.