Storm Survey's Are Underway (UPDATED)

Bold text is damage reports for Region 8.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1040 PM CDT MON MAY 3 2010

...DAMAGE SURVEYS ARE ONGOING ACROSS ARKANSAS...

SEVERAL STRONG LONG TRACK TORNADOES WERE SPAWNED DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF FRIDAY...APRIL 30TH. THE TORNADOES WERE MAINLY IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS. ON MAY 1ST...THERE MAY HAVE BEEN ADDITIONAL TORNADOES PRODUCED IN EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE. COMBINING THESE EVENTS...AS MANY AS A DOZEN TORNADOES COULD HAVE OCCURRED.

STORMS ON APRIL 30TH...

AT LEAST TEN TORNADOES HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED IN THE LITTLE ROCK COUNTY WARNING AREA. ALL OF THESE TORNADO TRACKS HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY SURVEYED.

THE STRONGEST TORNADO TRACKED FROM 3 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF

JERUSALEM IN CONWAY COUNTY TO 3.2 MILES NORTHWEST OF CLINTON IN VAN BUREN COUNTY. THIS TORNADO HIT THE SCOTLAND COMMUNITY...OR 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CLINTON. THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF3...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 20.3 MILES.

THE STORM THAT PRODUCED THE SCOTLAND TORNADO SPAWNED ANOTHER TORNADO 5.6 MILES NORTHWEST OF SHIRLEY IN VAN BUREN COUNTY. THE TORNADO DISSIPATED 1 MILE NORTHEAST OF FOX IN STONE COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF1...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 8.7 MILES.

ANOTHER STORM SPAWNED A TORNADO THAT TRACKED FROM 4.7 MILES
WEST-SOUTHWEST OF CENTER RIDGE IN CONWAY COUNTY TO 3.8 MILES
WEST-SOUTHWEST OF BEE BRANCH IN VAN BUREN COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF2...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 11.7 MILES.

A TORNADO AFFECTED AREAS AROUND EAST END...WITH THE TRACK BEGINNING 7.4 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF EAST END IN SALINE COUNTY TO 2.4 MILES SOUTH OF SWEET HOME IN PULASKI COUNTY. THIS TORNADO TRACKED THROUGH THE SOUTH SIDE OF LITTLE ROCK. THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF2...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 17.1 MILES.

THE STORM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EAST END TORNADO PRODUCED FOUR ADDITIONAL TORNADOES AS REORGANIZED AND MOVED NORTHEAST. ONE OF THESE TRACKED FROM 2.4 MILES EAST OF SWEET HOME TO 1.5 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF MCRAE IN WHITE COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF2...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 35 MILES.

THE NEXT TORNADO WENT FROM 1.5 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF KENSETT IN WHITE COUNTY TO 1.5 MILES EAST OF KENSETT. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED EF1...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 2.8 MILES.

THE FOURTH TORNADO PRODUCED FROM THE ORIGINAL EAST END STORM HAD A PATH LENGTH OF 7.5 MILES...AND WAS RATED EF-3. THIS TORNADO TRACKED FROM 2.2 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF WELDON IN JACKSON COUNTY...AND ENDED FOUR MILES EAST OF AUVERGNE. A CHURCH WAS DESTROYED...AS WELL AS A POWER SUBSTATION.

THE STORM PRODUCED AN ADDITIONAL TORNADO TRACK BEFORE REACHING EAST END. THIS SEGMENT OF THE STORM ORIGINATED 3.3 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF BELFAST AND ENDED 1.0 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF BELFAST AND WAS 2.8 MILES LONG. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AS AN EF1 AND REMAINED IN GRANT COUNTY FOR ITS DURATION. THERE WAS ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOME AND A CHURCH AND HALF OF A BARN ROOF WAS REMOVED. THERE WERE ALSO NUMEROUS TREES BLOWN DOWN.

TORNADO DAMAGE HAS ALSO BEEN CONFIRMED IN NORTHERN MARION COUNTY TO THE NORTHWEST OF OAKLAND. THE TRACK OF THIS TORNADO HAD A PATH LENGTH OF 2.9 MILES LONG AND EXTENDED FROM 0.2 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF PRICE PLACE TO 2.7 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF PRICE PLACE. THERE WAS ROOF AND SIDING DAMAGE TO SIX HOMES AND NUMEROUS TREES WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AS AN EF1.

ANOTHER POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS SPAWNED NEAR PRINCETON IN DALLAS COUNTY.

STORMS ON MAY 1ST...

AN OUTBREAK OF TORNADOES WAS ANTICIPATED DURING THE EVENING OF MAY 1ST. NUMEROUS SUPERCELLS...OR STORMS WITH ROTATING UPDRAFTS...DEVELOPED ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS. ROTATION WAS STRONG

AT TIMES WITH SEVERAL OF THESE STORMS...AND THERE WERE QUITE A FEW REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS. HOWEVER...IN MOST CASES...IT APPEARS THE FUNNELS DID NOT MAKE IT TO THE GROUND.

THERE WERE NOT MORE TORNADOES PARTLY DUE TO A LACK OF SHEAR AS THE EVENT STARTED. ONCE SHEAR BECAME MORE SIGNIFICANT LATER IN THE EVENT...THERE WAS NOT AS MUCH INSTABILITY DUE TO THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. FORTUNATELY...THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS DID NOT COME TOGETHER.

EVEN SO...SOME DAMAGE WAS REPORTED NEAR HAZEN IN PRAIRIE COUNTY AND PENROSE IN WOODRUFF COUNTY. THE DAMAGE MAY HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF ISOLATED TORNADOES PRODUCED BY A STORM TRACKING THROUGH SOUTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE. THIS IS WHERE SHEAR VALUES WERE HIGHEST DURING THE EVENT.

THE FIRST TORNADO FROM MAY 1ST HAS BEEN CONFIRMED. THE TORNADO OCCURRED IN WOODRUFF COUNTY AND STARTED 1.5 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF PENROSE AND TRAVELED 2.3 MILES TO THE NORTHEAST BEFORE ENTERING THE MEMPHIS COUNTY WARNING AREA. THE TORNADO WAS RATED AN EF1. A WALL WAS CAVED IN AT A FLYING SERVICE AND PART OF THE ROOF WAS REMOVED. OTHER DAMAGE INCLUDED PART OF A ROOF AND TWO WALLS BEING REMOVED FROM A HOUSE. THERE ALSO NUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES BLOWN DOWN INCLUDING A PICK UP TRUCK CRUSHED BY A TREE.