Thunderstorm Wind — Hempstead, Arkansas

2024-05-22 · near De Ann, Hempstead, Arkansas

Event narrative

Tree downed on County Road 252 in the De Ann community.

Wider weather episode

Surface analysis identified a cold front advancing into the Ark-La-Tex region early in the afternoon on May 22nd. Weak surface troughing preceded the cold front, noted by a wind shift from southerly to the south of the boundary to northerly to the north of it. This troughing was influential in the intensification of thunderstorms moving into parts of Southwest Arkansas through mid afternoon. The air mass ahead of the boundary was characterized by ample low-level moisture and very strong buoyancy. MLCAPE was over 3000 J/kg across the entire region, and vertical shear was quite strong with bulk shear values in the 50 to 60 knot range. Although some minimal convective inhibition remained early on, it eroded quickly with robust thunderstorm development along and ahead of these boundaries. As a result, a few strong to severe thunderstorms were observed in Hempstead County Arkansas with isolated damaging wind gusts along with significant cloud-to-ground lightning that killed nearly 20 head of cattle huddled near a tree.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.7800, -93.5600)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1187038. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.