Home / Arkansas / White

F3 tornado in White County, Arkansas

Tornado March 1, 1997 · White County, Arkansas

Rating

16.0 mi

Whole path

100 yd

Path width

Injuries

$60K

Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Lonoke County → White County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 100 yards (0.06 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F3 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F3 meant severe damage: whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned; the scale paired it with winds of 158–206 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

The wider storm

The Lonoke County tornado moved into White County 5 miles southeast of El Paso at 239 pm CST. The tornado continued to track northeastward. Several utility towers were destroyed, as well as a frame house and some trailers. The tornado encountered some rough terrain and weakened somewhat, but still managed to down trees and cause some spotty roof damage. The tornado lifted about 3 miles south of Center Hill.

Began near El Paso (35.0700, -92.0200).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5592923. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

Tornadoes near your address

See every tornado that passed near a place you know, measured to its path.