Monthly Storm Reports and Storm Data
Storm Reports
Are you interested in what happened during a recent event? Check out the report below.
 
April, 2013 Storm Report
 
Short Weather Summary
 
Following a very cool March, temperatures were also below normal in April. Record cold high temperatures were set to begin the month, with a late freeze during the last week. Tornadoes (six of them) made their usual appearance, but there were no outbreaks of severe weather.

 

Record Temperatures
 
There were numerous record low temperatures (mainly on the 25th) and a few record highs (on the 16th). Check out the record below.

 

Site Record Low (Date of Occurrence)
Batesville 37 (04/20), 36 (04/25)
El Dorado 36T (04/20)
Fayetteville 27 (04/25)
Hot Springs 35 (04/20), 35 (04/25)
Jacksonville 35 (04/20), 36 (04/25)
North Little Rock 40T (04/24), 42 (04/25)
Russellville 35 (04/25)
Stuttgart 41 (04/12), 45 (04/25)
Note: "T" means record was tied.

 

Site Record High (Date of Occurrence)
Hot Springs 87T (04/16)
Jacksonville 88T (04/16)
North Little Rock 88 (04/16)
Note: "T" means record was tied.

 

Record Cold Early/Tornadoes Mid-Month/A Late Freeze
 

Early in April (on the 2nd through the 5th), daytime readings in some areas failed to climb out of the 40s. Record cold high temperatures were set, with a few previous records dating back to the late 1800s.

 

 

The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed strengthening rotation to the southeast of Scotland (Van Buren County) around 420 pm CDT on 04/10/2013. By the 10th, a strong cold front swept into Arkansas from the Plains. Ahead of the front, instability increased as temperatures climbed into the 70s/lower 80s. This made thunderstorms more likely to pop up. Winds also turned with height, which increased the chances that a few storms would produce tornadoes.
In the picture: The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed strengthening rotation to the southeast of Scotland (Van Buren County) around 420 pm CDT on 04/10/2013. A tornado quickly developed, and tracked through areas west of Clinton (Van Buren County) and just south of Botkinburg (Van Buren County).

 

One storm developed just ahead of the front, and went on to drop three tornadoes in a three county area. The strongest of these (rated EF2) tracked 17.4 miles through Van Buren County.

Along the way, numerous trees were downed or snapped. Five houses were destroyed, with major damage to nearly a dozen homes. A church near Botkinburg (Van Buren County) was also dismantled.

As the evening progressed, storms formed into a line in central sections of the state and raced to the east. The line caused extensive wind damage in places. At Horseshoe Bend (Izard County), 90 to 100 mph winds damaged at least forty homes. Three homes were destroyed. Trees were toppled onto several homes at Garrett Bridge (Lincoln County). A damage survey confirmed this was caused by a weak tornado (rated EF1) along the leading edge of the line.  

 

It was even warmer on the 16th, including a few record highs in the upper 80s. A front was poised to the northwest as the heat continued through the 17th. The front marched across the region the next day, but severe storms were few. Lifted index (LI) values, or a measure of instability, became strongly negative (-4 to -6) in southeast Arkansas at 400 pm CDT on 04/18/2013.
In the picture: Lifted index (LI) values, or a measure of instability, became strongly negative (-4 to -6) in southeast Arkansas at 400 pm CDT on 04/18/2013. This indicated a destabilizing atmosphere, with severe storms in the far southeast and also in northeast Louisiana. In was not as unstable in much of the east, and storms had difficulty growing. Values quickly became positive across the west and the environment stabilized rapidly in cooler air behind a cold front.

 

Even so, there were two more weak tornadoes (rated EF0/EF1) spawned in the far southeast (Ashley and Chicot Counties).

A taste of winter returned by the 25th, with a freeze across the northern/western counties. The thermometer bottomed out at 28 degrees at Lead Hill (Boone County), with 29 degrees at Evening Shade (Sharp County) and Waldron (Scott County). This was the latest freeze since 1960 at Booneville (Logan County), and 1963 at Batesville Lock and Dam (Independence County) and Harrison (Boone County).

 

 

The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed severe thunderstorms in the Little Rock (Pulaski County) area at 436 pm CDT on 04/27/2013.

There was a warming trend to finish the month, and this led to one more round of severe storms in the southeast half of Arkansas on the 27th.
In the picture: The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed severe thunderstorms in the Little Rock (Pulaski County) area at 436 pm CDT on 04/27/2013.

 

There were several reports of large hail, including quarter size hail in the Little Rock (Pulaski County) area. There was isolated wind damage. Trees, power lines and power poles were downed at Holly Grove (Monroe County).

In the end, despite significant heating ahead of fronts, average temperatures finished 1 to 3 degrees below normal for the month.

 

Average Temperatures in April, 2013 
Site Avg. Temp +/-
Fayetteville (NW AR) 55.3° -1.5°
Harrison (NC AR) 56.2° -1.8°
Jonesboro (NE AR) 58.3° -1.6°
Fort Smith (WC AR) 60.9° -0.7°
Little Rock (C AR) 60.1° -2.0°
West Memphis (EC AR) 59.3° -1.9°
Texarkana (SW AR) 61.6° -2.3°
El Dorado (SC AR) 60.9° -2.5°
Pine Bluff (SE AR) 60.2° -2.8°

 

Combining March and April, average temperatures over a 61-day span were the lowest on record in spots. This was the case at Booneville (Logan County), Brinkley (Monroe County), Hardy (Sharp County), Mammoth Spring (Fulton County), Newport (Jackson County) and Subiaco (Logan County). These sites have been in existence for more than 100 years.

 

Record Coolest Average Temperatures (March 1 - April 30, 2013)
Site Avg. Temp Prev. Record Year of Prev. Record Records Since
Booneville (Logan Co.) 51.9° 52.8° 1960 1906
Brinkley (Monroe Co.) 51.2° 51.8° 1983 1882
Hardy (Sharp Co.) 48.8° 51.0° 2008 1897
Mammoth Spring (Fulton Co.) 47.2° 47.4° 1996 1904
Newport (Jackson Co.) 50.4° 51.3° 1996 1884
Subiaco (Logan Co.) 51.5° 52.6° 1947 1897

 

 

Percent of normal rainfall in April, 2013.
In the picture: Percent of normal rainfall in April, 2013.
 

Rainfall was appreciable across parts of the south/east in April, and also in the far northwest. That was not the case elsewhere. In the southwest, some spots received less than half of the normal rain.

 

Precipitation in April, 2013
Site Amount Normal +/- % of Normal
Fayetteville (NW AR) 5.53 4.60 +0.93 120%
Harrison (NC AR) 4.12 4.32 -0.20 95%
Jonesboro (NE AR) 4.65 5.02 -0.37 93%
Fort Smith (WC AR) 3.73 4.30 -0.57 87%
Little Rock (C AR) 4.33 5.14 -0.81 84%
West Memphis (EC AR) 6.08 5.38 +0.70 113%
Texarkana (SW AR) 2.77 3.94 -1.16 70%
El Dorado (SC AR) 4.31 4.09 +0.22 105%
Pine Bluff (SE AR) 5.14 4.93 +0.21 104%

 

Locales that got surplus precipitation included El Dorado (Union County), Fayetteville (Washington County), Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) and West Memphis (Crittenden County). Totals were more than an inch below normal at Texarkana (Miller County).

 

Links of Interest
April 10-11, 2013 (severe weather/heavy rain)
April 17-18, 2013 (severe weather/heavy rain)
April 26-27, 2013 (severe weather/heavy rain)

 

Additional April Details
 
For more details about April, 2013...go to the "Temperatures and Precipitation" section below.

 

Temperatures and Precipitation
Temperatures were below normal in April. Readings at North Little Rock are shown to right. April, 2013 Temperatures in North Little Rock

 

April, 2013 Precipitation in North Little Rock Rainfall was above normal along the Mississippi River and in the far northwest, and below normal elsewhere.

 

To right, a look at precipitation across the state. April, 2013 Precipitation in Arkansas

 

For a look at actual temperatures and precipitation in Arkansas as measured by the cooperative observer network, click here.
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