EF3 Tornado — Polk, Arkansas

2009-04-09 · near Potter, Polk, Arkansas

Event narrative

A tornado began to the west-southwest of Mena, then tracked through the northwest side of Mena. According to the Polk County Judge, 165 houses were destroyed, 701 houses had major damage, and more than 11,000 trees were blown down. The Polk County Courthouse, county jail, Mena City Hall, and the police and fire departments were damaged in downtown Mena, as were several businesses. Mena Middle School, also located downtown, was structurally damaged beyond repair. A nursing home was also damaged. Most of the city lost electricity. The tornado then tracked to the northeast, badly damaging several industrial buildings. There was considerable roof damage at Rich Mountain Community College, and lesser damage to the hospital. As the tornado continued to the northeast, a tractor dealership was destroyed. A number of rural residences and farms were damaged as the tornado moved out into rural Polk County. North of Ink, damage was noted along Polk 74 and Polk 71; these same areas had been damaged by a tornado on October 6, 2008. Three fatalities occurred on the northwest side of Mena. One was a woman at a Masonic Lodge, and the others were a man and woman at separate residences.

Wider weather episode

Low pressure aloft approached from the west and collided with moisture and instability. Thunderstorms developed in eastern Oklahoma during the afternoon, then became more numerous as they entered western Arkansas during the evening. The storms brought a few tornadoes and numerous hailstorms to Arkansas during the evening hours.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.5444, -94.3334)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 154302. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.