EF2 Tornado — Dallas, Arkansas

2012-01-22 · near Beech Grove, Dallas, Arkansas

Event narrative

This tornado exited Calhoun County north-northwest of Thornton and entered Dallas County west-southwest of Beech Grove. Soon after entering the county, the tornado increased to EF2 intensity. The clubhouse at the Fordyce Country Club was badly damaged and the bathhouse was blown into the swimming pool. The tornado then knocked down two large, steel power transmission towers, causing the transmission lines to fall across Arkansas 273, where a motorist ran into them. Next, the tornado tracked through the northern side of Fordyce, where the damage was the most extensive. A damage survey by the American Red Cross indicated 11 single family dwellings (including 3 mobile homes) were destroyed, 6 had major damage, and 5 had minor damage. In addition to the structural damage, hundreds of trees and many power lines were blown down. The tornado exited Dallas County north of the Fordyce airport and entered Cleveland County west-northwest of Kingsland.

Wider weather episode

The day of the 22nd began cloudy, chilly, and foggy across most of Arkansas. During the day, however, much warmer air surged northward across much of the state. In the evening, a cold front plowed into the warmth and moisture, triggering severe thunderstorms and seven tornadoes.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.7998, -92.4902)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 355491. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.