Severe Weather Rocks Southeastern U.S.
Photo courtesy of Photos.com.
Hail, wind gusts and a tornado were reported Wednesday in the the southeastern U.S from a line of thunderstorms that moved eastward Wednesday afternoon and evening.
"Main contributors (to the storm) were warm and humid air originating from the Gulf of Mexico and a cold front that moved through Arkansas Wednesday afternoon," said AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Andrew Mussoline. "The clash of cool and dry air colliding with warm and humid air along the cold front caused serve thunderstorms earlier Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening."
More than 23 incidents of high winds were reported in the southeastern U.S. Trees were taken down by strong winds in Hot Spring, Grant, Lonoke, Jefferson, Arkansas and Desha counties in Arkansas. In Mississippi, trees were reported down in Coahoma, Bolivar, Tunica, Leflore and Carrol counties.
Additionally, minor damage was reported to three hangars at the Stuttgart Municipal airport and power lines were down along highway 79 between Stuttgart, Ark. and Roe, Ark. Winds gusted up to 86 mph.
"Stormy winds aloft added to the severity of the thunderstorms as winds transferred down to the surface," added Mussoline. "The result of that was hail, wind, and even an unconfirmed tornado."
The tornado was reported by local law enforcement in Phillips county, Ark., 15 miles southeast of Marvell.
Also, large hail was reported across several areas. Hail sizes ranging from dimes to quarters fell on Glenwood, Ark., and quarter-sized hail was reported by the Smackover Police Department just 3 miles west of Smackover, Ark.
More Weather News
-
What's Next for Beryl?
May 28, 2012; 12:25 PM ET
Beryl, with its drenching downpours and locally severe thunderstorms is expected to turn to the northeast, paralleling the Carolina coast during the middle of the week.
-
Memorial Day Storms Albany to Boston
May 28, 2012; 12:09 PM ET
Locally strong thunderstorms will roll across upstate New York and through part of New England into this evening.
-
"Mothership Cloud" Supercell Tornado In Texas
May 28, 2012; 12:07 PM ET
Storm chasers spotted the storm on May 21.
-
Photos: After-Effects of Tropical Storm Beryl
May 28, 2012; 12:00 PM ET
"Beryl, shmeryl..." No serious damage has been reported.
-
Severe Flooding in Northwestern Ontario
May 28, 2012; 10:49 AM ET
A state of emergency has been declared in the Thunder Bay area after severe flooding struck parts of Ontario's Lake Superior region.
-
Watching the Caribbean in the Wake of Beryl
May 28, 2012; 9:30 AM ET
The same general area of disturbed weather in the Caribbean that seeded Beryl, could attempt yet another tropical system this week.
-
Severe Storms to Slam Chicago, St. Louis, Springfield
May 28, 2012; 9:22 AM ET
Damaging thunderstorms will ignite from Chicago to St. Louis to Springfield later this afternoon and evening.
-
Memorial Day Weather for "Founding" Towns
May 28, 2012; 9:01 AM ET
Officially, Waterloo, N.Y., is the birthplace of Memorial Day, however, many towns in the U.S. claim the honor of being the first.
-
Atlantic Hurricane Forecast: Storms Close to the Coast
May 28, 2012; 7:32 AM ET
AccuWeather's 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season forecasts 12 named tropical storms, five named hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
-
Beryl's Impacts on the Southeast
May 28, 2012; 5:25 AM ET
As Beryl moves into the Southeast, its impacts will be widespread. However, not all news will be bad.
Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 100° | Smyrna, TN |
| Low | 15° | Sunset Crater, AZ |
| Precip | 3.99" | Wadena, MN |
WeatherWhys®
Hail is much more common during the months of May and June compared to July and August. The main reason is the fact that the freezing level is usually higher during July and August as pockets of cold air in the upper atmosphere are less common as the jet stream weakens and retreats farther north.
This Day In Weather History
Leesburg, Va. (1982)
In Leesburg, a suburb of Washington, D.C., 2.20 inches of rain fell in 15 minutes.
Leesburg, Fla. (1989)
A lightning bolt tore a 4-foot-wide hole in the ceiling of a residential dining room and struck a 9-year-old boy between the shoulder blades. Although injured, the boy survived.
Rough Weather
Comments
Comments left here should adhere to the AccuWeather.com Community Guidelines. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.