EF2 Tornado — Conway, Arkansas

2010-04-30 · near Lick Mtn, Conway, Arkansas

Event narrative

A Red Cross survey found the following damage from this EF2 tornado: 12 houses and 2 mobile homes destroyed, 8 houses with major damage, 5 houses and 2 mobile homes with minor damage, and 8 houses affected. Other damage included: roof damage to two churches, a silo thrown against one church, a number of barns and outbuildings damaged, and numerous trees and power lines blown down. The tornado exited Conway County east of Austin and entered Van Buren County north-northwest of Whipple.

Wider weather episode

Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico surged into Arkansas at the end of April, so conditions in the state became warm and humid. On the 30th, a strong area of low pressure aloft approached from the west, resulting in the development of thunderstorms. Wind shear, a change in wind direction and speed with height, was present. This created a favorable environment for the formation of tornadoes.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.3549, -92.6427)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 219255. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.