Overview

Severe thunderstorms swept across the South and Midwest on April 28-29, producing 2 confirmed tornadoes, 230 hail reports, and 96 wind reports across nine states. The tornadoes touched down in Texas and Arkansas, while giant hail—some measuring up to 3 inches in diameter—pummeled communities from Oklahoma to Alabama.

The event unfolded as multiple weak disturbances moved eastward across the southern Plains into the lower Mississippi Valley, triggering scattered supercells in an environment of strong instability and favorable wind shear.

The Tornadoes

Vashti, Texas

The first tornado was reported at 1949 UTC (2:49 PM CDT) near Vashti in north-central Texas, according to the National Weather Service office in Little Rock. The rating and damage details remain under investigation.

Keevil, Arkansas

A second tornado touched down at 0051 UTC (7:51 PM CDT on April 28) approximately 1 mile north-northeast of Keevil in east-central Arkansas. The National Weather Service in Little Rock confirmed the tornado was observed and photographed by a spotter located southwest of Brinkley, looking south. The tornado's rating has not yet been determined.

Both tornadoes occurred in areas where the Storm Prediction Center had highlighted a risk for severe weather, including the potential for isolated tornadoes along and near a surface front draped from west-central Texas to southern Arkansas.

Giant Hail Outbreak

The dominant story of this event was hail—and lots of it. A total of 230 hail reports flooded in from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and Alabama as supercells tracked eastward through the afternoon and evening.

Arkansas Takes the Brunt

Northwest Arkansas bore the brunt of the largest hailstones. At 1540 UTC (10:40 AM CDT), Cave Springs, Arkansas, reported 3-inch diameter hail—roughly the size of a baseball—documented with photos showing the stones next to a tape measure. Just minutes earlier at 1533 UTC, Tontitown reported 2.75-inch hail.

Other significant hail reports in Arkansas included:

  • Goshen: 2.5-inch hail at 1610 UTC, photographed next to a tape measure
  • Elm Springs: 2.25-inch hail at 1546 UTC
  • Lowell: 2-inch hail at 1550 UTC

Missouri Supercells

Missouri communities also faced destructive hail. Purdy reported numerous instances of 2-inch diameter hail at 1607 UTC, while a location between Wheaton and Purdy measured 2.5-inch hail at 1558 UTC. Even the Springfield area—typically on the northern fringe of severe hail events—saw reports of power lines downed by storms.

Widespread Quarter-Size Hail

Beyond the giant hail reports, quarter-size (1-inch) hail was widespread across the threat area, with reports extending from Oklahoma through Arkansas and into Mississippi and Alabama. Vernon, Alabama, received numerous reports and photos of quarter-size hail around 1528-1531 UTC.

Damaging Winds

While hail dominated the headlines, 96 wind reports documented the storms' destructive power across the region. Damage ranged from downed trees and power lines to structural damage to homes and public buildings.

Oklahoma Damage

Southern Oklahoma saw some of the most significant wind damage. Near Bromide, 14 power poles were knocked down along Highway 7 east of Highway 377 at approximately 2010 UTC. The same area reported extensive tree damage and downed power lines. A large metal outbuilding was destroyed near Fillmore at 2020 UTC, and a home sustained damage to its exterior siding.

Structural damage to homes was also reported near Coleman at 2026 UTC, and a power pole fell onto a building at Wapanucka High School around 2030 UTC.

Missouri and Tennessee

In Missouri, West Plains reported multiple instances of tree damage, including a tree that fell on a house at 2035 UTC. Springfield saw several reports of downed power lines across the northwest part of the city between 1645 and 1650 UTC.

Tennessee was not spared. Brighton's town hall sustained roof damage at approximately 2127 UTC, and trees and power lines were reported down along Tate Road west of Munford around 2121 UTC.

Early Texas Damage

The severe weather began in north-central Texas, where multiple trees and power lines were downed just north of Saint Jo at 1415 UTC, requiring roadways to be cleared.

Meteorological Setup

The Storm Prediction Center's Day 1 Convective Outlook, issued at 13Z on April 29, described the environment that fueled these storms:

"A broad zone of enhanced westerly mid-level flow will persist today over much of the southern Plains into the lower MS Valley and Southeast. Multiple weak embedded perturbations aloft moving from northern Mexico across the southern Plains should encourage isolated to scattered thunderstorms to develop through the day along/near a surface front draped from west-central TX to southern AR."

The outlook noted that a moist low-level airmass remained in place along and south of the boundary, with surface dewpoints in the low to mid 70s. Steep mid-level lapse rates atop this moisture supported 2,000-4,000 J/kg of MUCAPE (Most Unstable Convective Available Potential Energy) across Texas, with somewhat lesser values into the lower Mississippi Valley.

The combination of strong instability and elongated hodographs at mid and upper levels created an environment conducive to supercells capable of producing large hail. SPC specifically warned that "isolated 2+ inch diameter hailstones possible" across Texas, a forecast that verified with the 3-inch report in Cave Springs, Arkansas, and multiple 2+ inch reports across the region.

Context and Patterns

This event marks the latest in an active April severe weather pattern across the central United States. While the tornado count remained relatively low during this event—just 2 confirmed touchdowns—the prolific hail production and widespread wind damage underscore the multi-faceted threat that springtime severe weather poses. Not every severe weather day produces numerous tornadoes, but large hail and damaging winds can cause significant property damage and pose serious risks to anyone caught outdoors.

Looking Ahead

The Storm Prediction Center's Day 2 outlook (valid April 30) maintains a Marginal risk across portions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida as the upper-level pattern continues to support scattered thunderstorm development. Day 3 (valid May 1) shows a similar Marginal risk footprint across the Southeast and Gulf Coast states.

Residents across the South and lower Mississippi Valley should continue monitoring forecasts closely as the active weather pattern persists into the end of April and beginning of May—historically one of the most active periods for severe thunderstorms across the region.

Safety Takeaways

This event reinforces several critical severe weather safety principles:

If you're caught outdoors when giant hail approaches, seek shelter immediately in a sturdy building. Vehicles offer some protection but can sustain catastrophic windshield damage from stones 3 inches or larger.

Severe weather doesn't always mean tornadoes. While tornado warnings rightfully command attention, hail and wind events can be equally destructive and far more widespread. A Slight Risk area can produce hundreds of severe reports across multiple states.

Nighttime severe weather is especially dangerous. The Arkansas tornado touched down after dark, when visibility is limited and many people are winding down for the evening. Tornadoes at night are significantly more deadly than daytime events because people are less likely to receive and act on warnings.

VORTEX is a free web app at vortexintel.app that monitors severe weather nationwide. Pro ($4.99/month) places phone calls to your phone when a tornado or flash flood warning is issued for a location you care about — calls can ring through Do Not Disturb once you enable Emergency Bypass for the number, unlike most third-party app notifications.