EF2 Tornado — Pulaski, Arkansas

2008-04-03 · near Levy, Pulaski, Arkansas

Event narrative

A tornado began in North Little Rock, south of St. Joseph's Orphanage, near the intersection of Camp Robinson Rd. and Donovan Briley Blvd. It passed through the southeast corner of Camp Joseph T. Robinson, moved across the North Little Rock Airport, continued through parts of Sherwood and Sylvan Hills, and ended on the north side of Gravel Ridge. At the North Little Rock Airport, a number of the hangars suffered substantial damage. Virtually all of the small planes that had been tied down on the parking apron were overturned. A DC3 aircraft rolled about 1/4 mile from the parking apron, across a runway, and into a ditch. A small plane was trapped beneath the DC3 as it rolled along. At the National Weather Service, located at the airport, the staff took shelter for a few minutes in the office's concrete-reinforced safe room. Damage at the weather office was limited to a flagpole, birdhouse, and TV antenna being blown down. At Sylvan Hills High School, a considerable amount of roof damage occurred. The Sherwood Sports Complex, adjacent to the school, suffered substantial damage. Nearby, a tornado siren was blown down. The greatest amount of residential damage occurred in the Hidden Creek subdivision, and on to the northeast on Loop Rd., Kellogg Acres Rd., and Oakdale Rd.

Wider weather episode

The event began with a warm front moving north from the Gulf Coast region on the 3rd. The front was followed by above normal temperatures and abundant moisture. There was plenty of fuel for developing thunderstorms. A large area of showers and thunderstorms developed near the stalled front in northern and western Arkansas during the evening of the 3rd.

During the early morning hours of the 4th, it became a heavy rain event.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.8133, -92.2744)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 92034. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.