A warm front pushed northward from the Gulf Coast region during the afternoon of April 28th (Thursday). The front was just north of Little Rock (Pulaski County) by 4 pm CDT. The front separated warm air to its south (temperatures in the 80s) from much cooler conditions farther north (readings in the 60s and 70s). With two different air masses clashing, thunderstorms were expected to develop north of the front during the evening of the 28th...with large hail the main concern.

In the picture: The weather pattern around 4 pm CDT on 04/28/2005...with cool air north and west of Arkansas (ahead of a warm front and behind a cold front) and much warmer conditions surging into the state from the south (behind a warm front).

A few storms managed to pop up by around 8 pm CDT on the 28th...with severe weather remaining isolated. However, there was a report of golfball size hail at Dennard (Van Buren County).
In the picture: The WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) showed a hail producing storm in northern Van Buren County near Dennard around 915 pm CDT on 04/28/2005.

	Moisture continued to increase from the southwest during the overnight hours of the 28th...with dewpoint  temperatures well into the 50s to lower 60s by the morning of the 29th.
In the picture: Dewpoint temperatures (a measure of moisture in the air) were increasing from the southwest during the evening of 04/28/2005.

As moisture levels went up, the warm front became active once again during the morning of the 29th. A lot of hail was produced in northern and central Arkansas, with golfball size hail at several locations...including Atkins (Pope County), Ola (Yell County), Jacksonville (Pulaski County) and near Conway (Faulkner County). In southern sections of the state (south of the warm front), a layer of warm air aloft was keeping the atmosphere capped...with no storms developing.

In the picture: Hailstorms were numerous in northern and central Arkansas (north of a warm front) during the morning of 04/29/2005, with no storms at all farther south.

	The cap in southern Arkansas is expected to break during the afternoon of the 29th as a storm system drags a cold front through the region from Oklahoma. It will be warm and humid (lots of energy available) in about the southeast half of the state once the front arrives...with storms expected to rapidly develop. Damaging winds, hail and tornadoes will be possible with the storms.
In the picture: The weather pattern around 7 pm CDT on 04/29/2005...the most unstable air in eastern Arkansas ahead of a cold front pushing through the state from Oklahoma. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop ahead of the front.

Storm Reports

From the evening of April 28th through the morning hours of the 29th, quite a bit of hail was reported in about the northern half of the state (north of a warm front). For a look at the reports, click here.
In the picture: Preliminary reports of severe weather in the Little Rock County Warning Area on April 28-29, 2005 (in red).