Event narrative (NOAA)
This tornado developed along SE Walton Blvd, west of SE Dodson Road. It quickly widened as it crossed I-49 moving to the southeast. The tornado continued to widen as it turned east, then east-northeast, crossing S Dixieland Road and Highway 94 at over 1.5 miles wide. It moved northeast after crossing N Arkansas Street, and dissipated in the hilly terrain east of Grambling Road. Nearly 600 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by this tornado, and thousands of trees were snapped or uprooted. Many power poles were snapped. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 115 to 125 mph.
Other notable tornado events in Arkansas
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.