EF0 Tornado — Desha, Arkansas

2023-01-02 · near Halley, Desha, Arkansas

Event narrative

This tornado crossed the Chicot/Desha County line around 744 PM CST, and did sparse damage along Arkansas Highway 35, knocking over a few telephone poles along the road, More conclusive evidence was noted in the cotton fields alongside the road, where swaths of convergent flow and damaged cotton were observed for around a half mile, between the county line and the town of Halley, with the tornado dissipating just before reaching Halley. This track is a continuation of a tornado that was ongoing, originating in Ashley County and moving through Chicot County. Peak wind speed was 80 mph.

Wider weather episode

A few strong to severe thunderstorms moved across Arkansas on the afternoon and evening of the 2nd. Damaging winds and a tornado occurred over portions of far southeast Arkansas. Over central and northern Arkansas, storms occurred but damage was highly localized. Another tornado moved through Jessieville causing damage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.5262, -91.3273)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1069158. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.