Oark, AR Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Oark is lower than Arkansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Oark is much lower than Arkansas average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #483
Oark, AR | 0.10 |
Arkansas | 0.57 |
U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
Oark, AR | 0.0000 |
Arkansas | 0.0000 |
U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #646
Oark, AR | 168.18 |
Arkansas | 272.21 |
U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 3,892 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Oark, AR were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 8 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 1 |
Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 371 | Hail: | 1,582 | Heat: | 8 | Heavy Snow: | 6 |
High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 5 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 7 |
Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,794 | Tropical Storm: | 1 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 16 | Winter Weather: | 20 |
Other: | 72 |
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Oark, AR.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Oark, AR.
Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
25.1 | 1985-09-06 | 3.8 | 10 | 35.81 | -93.12 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 80 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Oark, AR.
Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
1.0 | 1971-05-23 | 2 | 35°42'N / 93°41'W | 35°42'N / 93°25'W | 14.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Johnson |
5.9 | 2001-11-23 | 2 | 35°31'N / 93°43'W | 35°45'N / 93°27'W | 22.70 Miles | 500 Yards | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Johnson |
Brief Description: An F2 tornado that developed over Franklin County, moved into Johnson County about 3 miles west-southwest of Hunt, on Highway 352. The tornado moved northeastward, passing just northwest of Hunt. The tornado continued on across a portion of Horsehead Lake, tracked several miles east of Catalpa and then crossed into Newton County about one mile west of Salus. The tornado killed a woman in a mobile home on County Road 272, about 1.5 miles northwest of Hunt. Two other people inside the mobile home sustained minor injuries. Two additional injuries occurred on County Road 29, about 1.5 miles north of Hunt, when two people were inside a chicken house when it was destroyed. Six chicken houses were destroyed at this location. Three of the chicken houses contained about 120 thousand chickens, many of which were killed. Other damage in Johnson County included more than a dozen barns destroyed, several mobile homes destroyed, several homes with major damage and a number of homes with lesser damage. A number of vehicles were destroyed and many others were damaged. Many outbuildings were destroyed and thousands of trees were blown down. | |||||||||||
6.4 | 1983-05-14 | 2 | 35°38'N / 93°30'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Johnson | |
6.9 | 1974-06-06 | 3 | 35°40'N / 93°32'W | 35°43'N / 93°20'W | 11.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Johnson |
8.2 | 2001-11-23 | 2 | 35°43'N / 93°25'W | 35°45'N / 93°24'W | 1.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Newton |
Brief Description: The F2 tornado over Johnson County crossed into Newton County about 4.5 miles southeast of Fallsville. The tornado continued to track to the northeast for 1.8 miles, before lifting 4.5 miles east-southeast of Fallsville. Since the tornado tracked across a national forest, damage along the path of the tornado consisted of numerous downed trees. | |||||||||||
11.1 | 1957-01-22 | 2 | 35°33'N / 93°40'W | 35°34'N / 93°32'W | 7.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Johnson |
11.3 | 1996-04-21 | 3 | 35°46'N / 93°46'W | 35°56'N / 93°34'W | 15.00 Miles | 1050 Yards | 2 | 6 | 1.0M | 0 | Madison |
Brief Description: M37MH, M10MH | |||||||||||
11.5 | 1961-03-12 | 2 | 35°28'N / 93°48'W | 35°38'N / 93°22'W | 26.90 Miles | 17 Yards | 1 | 14 | 250K | 0 | Johnson |
15.4 | 2001-11-23 | 2 | 35°48'N / 93°21'W | 35°50'N / 93°16'W | 18.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Newton |
Brief Description: A strong tornado touched down in Newton County, tracking from 3.2 miles south-southwest of Swain to 4.5 miles east-southeast of Jasper. The thunderstorm that produced this tornado was the same storm that dropped a tornado over Johnson and southern Newton Counties a little earlier that evening. Significant damage occurred to an Inn and restaurant on Highway 7 in the Gum Springs community, or about 5 miles south-southeast of Jasper. The restaurant on the upper floor of the structure was destroyed. The roof was blown to the northwest, ending up across the highway from the building. The rear wall of the building went in the opposite direction, landing on a slope below the building. The tornado also damaged several houses and destroyed a number of outbuildings. Hundreds of trees were also blown down the entire path of the tornado. | |||||||||||
15.6 | 1985-11-18 | 2 | 35°28'N / 93°28'W | 35°41'N / 93°12'W | 18.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
16.5 | 1954-02-15 | 3 | 35°29'N / 93°29'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 24 | 250K | 0 | Johnson | |
17.7 | 1980-04-07 | 3 | 35°27'N / 93°30'W | 35°29'N / 93°27'W | 3.60 Miles | 1707 Yards | 0 | 76 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
18.3 | 1999-03-05 | 2 | 35°27'N / 93°36'W | 35°27'N / 93°29'W | 7.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Johnson |
Brief Description: A strong tornado was spawned in southern Johnson County. Toward the town of Hartman, the tornado heavily damaged or destroyed a couple of barns. Farther northeast toward Clarksville, every piece of tin was removed from a chicken house. Chickens were thrown from the house and from nearby houses. Up to 10,000 chickens were lost in the storm. Numerous trees were also downed. The tornado tracked about 7 miles before dissipating just southwest of Clarksville | |||||||||||
18.4 | 1965-03-16 | 2 | 35°27'N / 93°35'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Johnson | |||
18.5 | 1960-05-18 | 2 | 35°32'N / 93°20'W | 35°33'N / 93°16'W | 3.80 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Johnson |
18.5 | 1988-11-15 | 2 | 35°26'N / 93°25'W | 35°40'N / 93°10'W | 16.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 9 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
19.2 | 1960-04-14 | 3 | 35°28'N / 93°24'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Johnson | |
20.4 | 1961-03-12 | 2 | 35°27'N / 93°45'W | 35°28'N / 93°43'W | 1.90 Miles | 17 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Franklin |
23.1 | 1973-04-20 | 2 | 35°23'N / 93°30'W | 1.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Logan | |
23.7 | 1953-03-14 | 3 | 35°13'N / 93°57'W | 35°33'N / 93°22'W | 40.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Logan |
23.7 | 1962-03-20 | 2 | 36°01'N / 93°21'W | 0.50 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Newton | |
26.6 | 1996-04-21 | 2 | 35°37'N / 94°02'W | 35°39'N / 94°00'W | 3.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 500K | 0 | Franklin |
Brief Description: The tornado touched down just to the southwest of Fern. It moved northeastward, through the town of Fern, where 7 homes were destroyed and a number of other buildings were damaged. The tornado continued moving northeastward and lifted 3 miles northeast of Fern. A number of trees were blown down along the tornado's path. 2 people sustained minor injuries from the storm. Initial estimates place the amount of damage at around $500,000. | |||||||||||
27.3 | 1955-03-20 | 2 | 35°17'N / 93°44'W | 35°22'N / 93°32'W | 12.60 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Logan |
27.6 | 1957-05-11 | 2 | 35°19'N / 93°31'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Logan | |||
28.0 | 1960-05-05 | 2 | 35°21'N / 93°20'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Johnson | |
29.0 | 1982-12-23 | 2 | 35°19'N / 93°43'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Logan | |
29.3 | 1982-12-23 | 2 | 35°19'N / 93°44'W | 0.60 Mile | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Logan | |
29.8 | 1961-05-05 | 2 | 35°27'N / 93°08'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 1 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Pope | |
29.8 | 1961-11-02 | 2 | 35°18'N / 93°42'W | 1.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Logan | |
30.7 | 1959-03-31 | 3 | 35°18'N / 93°45'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Logan | |
31.7 | 1955-11-15 | 2 | 36°03'N / 94°00'W | 36°08'N / 93°45'W | 15.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Washington |
32.0 | 1960-05-05 | 2 | 36°07'N / 93°55'W | 36°09'N / 93°41'W | 13.20 Miles | 167 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Madison |
32.2 | 1953-03-14 | 3 | 35°19'N / 93°15'W | 35°24'N / 93°07'W | 9.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 7 | 3K | 0 | Pope |
32.4 | 1962-03-20 | 2 | 36°09'N / 93°53'W | 36°07'N / 93°45'W | 7.80 Miles | 417 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Madison |
32.8 | 1953-03-14 | 3 | 35°17'N / 93°17'W | 35°19'N / 93°15'W | 2.70 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Yell |
33.4 | 1960-05-05 | 2 | 35°49'N / 94°12'W | 36°00'N / 94°00'W | 16.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
35.9 | 1982-12-02 | 2 | 35°50'N / 93°06'W | 36°06'N / 92°53'W | 19.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clark |
35.9 | 1954-04-30 | 3 | 36°02'N / 94°03'W | 36°06'N / 94°00'W | 5.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
37.1 | 2008-04-10 | 2 | 36°00'N / 94°06'W | 36°02'N / 94°06'W | 3.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 125K | 0K | Washington |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An NWS storm survey determined that a strong tornado caused major damage to a permanent home, damaged several other homes, caused extensive tree damage, and snapped power poles. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms occurred across Northwest Arkansas during the evening and early morning hours on the 9th and 10th. | |||||||||||
37.4 | 1954-04-30 | 3 | 36°00'N / 94°10'W | 36°02'N / 94°03'W | 6.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
37.8 | 1960-04-14 | 3 | 35°28'N / 94°17'W | 35°31'N / 94°03'W | 13.60 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Crawford |
37.9 | 1953-05-10 | 2 | 35°16'N / 93°10'W | 35°17'N / 93°08'W | 2.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Pope |
37.9 | 1999-04-26 | 2 | 35°17'N / 93°08'W | 35°20'N / 93°04'W | 6.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Pope |
Brief Description: A strong tornado was spawned in southern Pope County. The tornado developed near Russellville and moved northeast. The tornado destroyed a concrete block building, and two people were injured inside. An apartment complex lost its roof, some storage buildings were heavily damaged, 15 homes suffered structural damage, and 50 homes had minor damage...mostly to roof shingles. A number of chicken houses sustained damage as well, and trees and power lines were blown down. The tornado dissipated about 5 miles northeast of Russellville. | |||||||||||
40.2 | 1954-04-30 | 3 | 35°45'N / 94°19'W | 36°00'N / 94°10'W | 19.20 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
40.3 | 1984-10-16 | 2 | 35°34'N / 94°22'W | 35°44'N / 94°10'W | 14.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Crawford |
40.6 | 1975-02-22 | 2 | 35°13'N / 93°07'W | 35°23'N / 92°58'W | 14.30 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Pope |
40.6 | 1953-04-23 | 3 | 35°29'N / 94°13'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Crawford | |||
40.9 | 1980-04-07 | 2 | 35°08'N / 93°42'W | 35°08'N / 93°41'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Yell | ||
41.4 | 1973-04-20 | 3 | 36°09'N / 93°09'W | 36°15'N / 93°05'W | 7.80 Miles | 500 Yards | 1 | 19 | 2.5M | 0 | Boone |
41.4 | 1982-12-02 | 3 | 35°29'N / 94°14'W | 1.00 Mile | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Crawford | |
41.7 | 1970-09-04 | 2 | 35°19'N / 93°08'W | 35°15'N / 92°56'W | 12.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Pope |
42.3 | 2008-01-08 | 2 | 35°21'N / 93°00'W | 35°24'N / 92°51'W | 10.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 1 | 1 | 3.5M | 0K | Pope |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down in central Pope County and tracked to the northeast. The Pope County Office of Emergency Management reported that 42 residential structures were affected. Of these, seven were destroyed, six had minor damage, and the rest had moderate to heavy damage. In addition, six chicken houses, two barns, and a number of outbuildings were destroyed, a travel trailer and motor home were overturned, and hundreds of trees were blown down. A 61 year-old man was killed and his wife was injured when their double-wide mobile home was destroyed on Simba Road, about 1.4 miles south-southeast of Appleton. Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe declared Pope County a state disaster area. The tornado continued into Conway County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms affected a large part of Arkansas on the 8th. There were a number of reports of wind damage and an isolated tornado. | |||||||||||
42.6 | 1978-05-07 | 2 | 35°16'N / 93°09'W | 35°15'N / 92°56'W | 12.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pope |
42.7 | 1973-05-26 | 2 | 36°20'N / 93°34'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Carroll | |
42.7 | 2006-01-12 | 2 | 35°12'N / 93°08'W | 35°13'N / 93°06'W | 1.70 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Pope |
Brief Description: A strong tornado moved out of Yell County and into Pope County about 5.3 miles south of Russellville. Winds were estimated around 140 mph. The tornado downed a number of trees and power lines. Several houses sustained roof damage. The tornado dissipated roughly 5.5 miles south-southeast of Russellville. | |||||||||||
42.7 | 2006-01-12 | 2 | 35°07'N / 93°21'W | 35°11'N / 93°08'W | 13.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yell |
Brief Description: A strong tornado touched down in northern Yell County, about 5 miles southwest of Chickalah. Estimated winds with the tornado were around 140 mph. A house was severely damaged. An abandoned mobile home, used for storage, was badly damaged. A few chicken houses had major damage, and a number of others had parts of the roofs taken off. A travel trailer was overturned, with numerous sheds and outbuildings destroyed. A number of power lines and power poles were blown down. Hundreds of trees were either snapped off or uprooted. A mobile home was also destroyed by fire, apparently due to a fallen power line. The tornado tracked to the east-northeast for about 13 miles before moving into southern Pope County. | |||||||||||
43.3 | 1955-04-04 | 2 | 36°20'N / 93°36'W | 36°21'N / 93°25'W | 10.20 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Carroll |
43.4 | 1991-03-21 | 2 | 36°08'N / 93°01'W | 36°10'N / 92°58'W | 4.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 12 | 2.5M | 0 | Boone |
44.2 | 1999-02-06 | 2 | 35°14'N / 93°04'W | 35°18'N / 92°55'W | 8.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Pope |
Brief Description: A strong tornado was spawned in southern Pope County about 1 mile southwest of Pottsville. As the tornado moved northeast, it damaged or destroyed several mobile homes and caused roof damage to houses. Several campers, boat sheds and storage buildings also sustained some damage. Most of the damage was along or near Highway 247 just south of Pottsville. Farther northeast, not as much damage was noted. Some trees were downed and the roof of a barn was damaged north of Atkins on Highway 105. A tree fell on a mobile home as well in the same area. | |||||||||||
44.2 | 1975-02-22 | 2 | 35°05'N / 93°15'W | 35°13'N / 93°07'W | 11.90 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Yell |
45.2 | 1954-04-30 | 3 | 35°38'N / 94°24'W | 35°45'N / 94°19'W | 9.20 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Crawford |
45.5 | 1967-03-25 | 2 | 35°08'N / 93°56'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 0K | 0 | Logan | |
45.6 | 1976-03-26 | 3 | 35°03'N / 93°25'W | 35°08'N / 93°09'W | 16.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Yell |
46.0 | 1996-04-21 | 3 | 35°26'N / 94°21'W | 35°31'N / 94°17'W | 6.00 Miles | 1050 Yards | 0 | 49 | 150.0M | 0 | Crawford |
46.0 | 1970-06-11 | 3 | 36°12'N / 94°06'W | 36°21'N / 93°54'W | 15.20 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Benton |
46.5 | 1999-05-04 | 3 | 35°45'N / 94°28'W | 36°00'N / 94°15'W | 22.00 Miles | 175 Yards | 0 | 0 | 80K | 0 | Washington |
Brief Description: A significant long-track tornado first touched down 4 miles west of Short, OK, and tracked 39 miles to a point about 7 miles southwest of Fayetteville, AR. Along the way, this tornado passed through portions of four counties but mainly affected sparsely-populated areas. It reached its peak strength as an F3 tornado in extreme southeast Adair County, OK, but mainly caused F2 damage in Washington County, AR. Fortunately, this tornado lifted before it reached heavily-populated Fayetteville. The tornado's first real property damage took place at a property between the Hogeye and Strickland communities, where the tornado peeled off the roof to a home, shattered windows, uprooted trees, destroyed two barns, and wiped a porch off of its stone foundation. Numerous trees were blown down along County Roads 212 and 214. Only a few miles away in the Cove Creek community, south of Prarie Grove, the tornado blew off a home's roof, demolished an enclosed garage, and destroyed a barn. A flagpole was bent almost in half, and a road sign ended up wrapped around a mailbox. The tornado uprooted a 200-year old walnut tree which then fell onto a pickup truck. About a half-dozen other oak and cedar trees on one property dating back at least 150 years were snapped or uprooted. The Washington County Judge's Office supplied a picture of a church near Cove Creek that was moved off of its foundation. Several poultry buildings along the tornado's path were also damaged. The property damage listed in this entry is for just that damage sustained in Washington County, while the F-rating reflects the tornado's peak strength in Adair County, OK. Summary of events for May 4 1999: Following a record tornado outbreak in Oklahoma on May 3-4, a significant severe weather outbreak affected northwest Arkansas on the morning and afternoon of May 4 as a vigorous upper level system continued to move slowly east. While there were many individual storms in the area on May 4, the most outstanding storm of the day was a supercell thunderstorm that spawned a tornado in Sequoyah County, OK, which then moved northeast for 39 miles to near Fayetteville. Other storms produced damaging winds and large hail. | |||||||||||
46.6 | 1979-04-11 | 2 | 35°50'N / 94°23'W | 35°59'N / 94°19'W | 11.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
47.2 | 1997-03-01 | 2 | 35°23'N / 92°51'W | 35°28'N / 92°44'W | 8.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 1 | 500K | 0 | Conway |
Brief Description: The Pope County tornado moved into Conway County about 2 miles west-southwest of Jerusalem at 338 pm CST and traveled northeastward. The tornado affected the northern and western parts of Jerusalem. West of town, a hog farm and tin shed were destroyed and a number of trees were blown down. As the tornado moved north of Jerusalem, a trailer was overturned and destroyed. One person in the trailer was injured. Thereafter, numerous trees were downed as the tornado moved through the Ozark National Forest. Damage along the tornado path was consistent with an F2 rating. | |||||||||||
47.2 | 1980-04-07 | 2 | 35°02'N / 94°03'W | 35°08'N / 93°42'W | 20.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Logan |
47.3 | 1984-10-16 | 2 | 35°38'N / 94°24'W | 35°34'N / 94°22'W | 8.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Crawford |
47.5 | 1961-05-08 | 2 | 36°02'N / 92°48'W | 1.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Searcy | |
47.5 | 1961-03-12 | 2 | 35°45'N / 92°51'W | 35°55'N / 92°35'W | 18.80 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Searcy |
47.6 | 2008-01-08 | 2 | 35°24'N / 92°51'W | 35°27'N / 92°43'W | 8.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 1.8M | 0K | Conway |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado from Pope County moved into northwestern Conway County. According to the Conway County Office of Emergency Management, three homes were destroyed, and 12 others suffered damage ranging from light to heavy. One woman was injured in a mobile home. Ten other structures, such as chicken houses and barns, were destroyed; 13 such structures were damaged. A church, which had stood for more than 100 years, was destroyed and an adjacent cemetery was damaged. Three natural gas well sites were damaged but there was no release of gas. The tornado moved into the Ozark National Forest, where hundreds of trees were blown down. Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe declared Conway County a state disaster area. The tornado continued into Van Buren County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms affected a large part of Arkansas on the 8th. There were a number of reports of wind damage and an isolated tornado. | |||||||||||
48.0 | 1989-05-18 | 2 | 35°28'N / 94°21'W | 0.70 Mile | 120 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Crawford | |
48.0 | 1982-12-02 | 2 | 36°06'N / 92°53'W | 36°09'N / 92°50'W | 5.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Dallas |
48.8 | 1970-06-11 | 3 | 35°56'N / 94°31'W | 36°12'N / 94°06'W | 29.60 Miles | 250 Yards | 1 | 44 | 2.5M | 0 | Washington |
49.5 | 1951-10-23 | 2 | 35°00'N / 93°30'W | 0 | 4 | 0K | 0 | Yell | |||
49.5 | 1966-04-20 | 2 | 36°24'N / 93°45'W | 36°26'N / 93°43'W | 2.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Carroll |
49.5 | 1976-03-26 | 2 | 35°52'N / 94°25'W | 2.00 Miles | 77 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington | |
49.6 | 2008-02-05 | 3 | 35°10'N / 92°59'W | 35°16'N / 92°51'W | 11.00 Miles | 1050 Yards | 5 | 15 | 11.5M | 0K | Pope |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado moved out of the Carden Bottoms area of Yell County, crossing the Arkansas River, and re-entering Pope County southwest of Atkins. The intensity and width of the tornado increased quickly within just a couple of miles after it moved across the Arkansas River. According to a survey by the Red Cross, damage included 46 houses destroyed, 19 houses with major damage, 37 houses with minor damage, and 2 other houses affected. In addition, 6 mobile homes were destroyed, 1 mobile home had major damage, and 4 others suffered minor damage. Several businesses were damaged as well. Numerous trees, power lines, and power poles were blown down. Several vehicles were blown off Interstate 40 as the tornado crossed the highway. One fatality occurred in the Lucky Landing area when a woman was thrown from her mobile home. Three fatalities, all members of a single family, occurred at a house on the east side of Atkins. Another fatality occurred in the Happy Bend community when a man left his mobile home and took shelter in a large, metal, intermodal shipping container. The container was blown hundreds of yards into the woods. The tornado then moved into Conway County, in the area west of Hattieville. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Early on the 5th, a strong storm system approached from the Plains. Ahead of the system, breezy southerly winds provided well above normal temperatures and abundant moisture. Warmth and moisture destabilized the atmosphere and fueled developing thunderstorms. A cold front moved across the state causing numerous severe storms and several tornadoes. One of the tornadoes tracked from Yell County to Sharp County, staying on the ground for 121.84 miles. This track length set a record for the longest tornado path ever recorded in Arkansas. The continuous track was confirmed by two National Weather Service meteorologists who flew the track with the Civil Air Patrol. The final track was based on ground surveys, the Civil Air Patrol flight, and an aerial mapping flight performed for the Arkansas Forestry Commission. |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.