Thunderstorm Wind — Faulkner, Arkansas

2014-06-06 · near Pickles Gap, Faulkner, Arkansas

Direct deaths

56 EG

Magnitude

Event narrative

A 59-year old man, who was fishing from a 14-foot boat on Beaverfork Lake, drowned when a severe thunderstorm capsized the boat. The investigative report from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission indicated the primary cause of the accident was Weather - Failure to recognize unsafe conditions for the vessel type and a secondary cause of Hazardous Water. The report also indicated that winds were 60 to 70 mph, waves were over 2 feet, and the boater was not wearing a personal flotation device.

Wider weather episode

A cold front wavered in Arkansas for several days from the 5th through the 9th. On several occasions, upper level low pressure systems moved through, sparking thunderstorms in the vicinity of the front. Some severe storms erupted each day, mainly producing damaging winds. However, there were a couple of weak tornadoes on the 6th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.1368, -92.4391)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 515013. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.