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A series of strong thunderstorms swept across Southwest Arkansas late Saturday, April 25, dumping damaging hail in portions of Clark and Pike counties and causing power outages in a three-county area.
Late Saturday night, hail the size of baseballs fell in the Amity area, causing widespread damage to homes and vehicles. Some hail reported in nearby Alpine was even larger. Unofficial reports indicate that the hail storm lasted up to 20 minutes. At least one local roofing company said Hardman Lumber Company in Arkadelphia opened its doors to his business Sunday morning to supply plywood and tarps for emergency repairs to multiple homes in the Amity/Alpine area.
Thunderstorms were also responsible for widespread power outages starting at around 6 a.m. Sunday. By 10 a.m. the area’s two power companies were reporting 3,000 residents without electricity in Clark County. Entergy’s outage map indicated that the hardest-hit areas were Gurdon, Okolona and Whelen Springs, and all of the Prescott area farther south, in Nevada County, where an estimated 3,600 residents were without power.
Portions of northwestern Ouachita County, including Chidester and communities surrounding White Oak Lake, were also left without electricity as a result of the storms.
Power was expected to be restored before Sunday evening.