Storm reports for May 4, 2020

On the morning of May 4, a resident near Johnson in Washington County, Arkansas, measured hailstones 5 inches across, and grapefruit-size hail was also reported there.^1,2 Hail larger than baseballs damaged vehicles, homes and businesses near Fayetteville and in Rogers.^3,4 Around midday, hail up to 2.25 inches crossed southern Greene County, Missouri, including Battlefield and south Springfield, causing minor to moderate damage to numerous homes and vehicles. The NOAA Storm Events Database lists $2 million in property damage.⁵

That morning, winds estimated at 70 knots (81 mph) heavily damaged several structures in Butler, Missouri, and in the nearby Amsterdam and Passaic area one person died when a large tree fell into a home.^6,7 In the afternoon, the Lebanon, Missouri, airport measured an 89 mph gust before going offline, and NWS Springfield reported widespread significant damage in Lebanon.⁸

Two macrobursts then struck southeast Missouri between 4:22 and 5:44 p.m. CDT. Near Grandin, winds estimated at 95 mph damaged or destroyed about 30 structures, mainly barns and garages.⁹ Around Gideon in New Madrid County, winds near 110 mph destroyed grain bins, collapsed or partly collapsed large buildings and caused major roof damage to at least six homes or similar structures.⁹ Storm Events lists $5 million in property damage in New Madrid County, from a local emergency management estimate.¹⁰