EF1 Tornado — Saline, Arkansas

2011-04-25 · near Hot Springs Village, Saline, Arkansas

Event narrative

This tornado exited Garland County northwest of the incorporated portion of Fountain Lake and entered Saline County in Hot Springs Village. Thousands of trees were blown down in Hot Springs Village, with more than 100 houses suffering damage from the falling trees. A cell phone tower was also blown down. Power outages were widespread. Boats and docks were destroyed on Lake Balboa.

Wider weather episode

From the 24th through the 27th, the arrival of a slow-moving cold front and several low pressure areas aloft triggered several rounds of thunderstorms. Tornadoes, severe storms, and flash flooding resulted. Widespread areal flooding followed the flash flooding. Some of this flooding was due to heavy rain, while some of it was caused by water from rivers, creeks, and bayous backing up onto the land. On the evening of the 25th, devastating tornadoes affected several areas in central Arkansas. More than 140,000 electric customers in Arkansas lost power. Heavy rains during this period were the beginning of the Great Flood of 2011 in Arkansas. Much of the flooding lasted well into May, and some even continued all the way to late June.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.6365, -92.9610)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 289600. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.