EF2 Tornado — Lonoke, Arkansas

2008-04-03 · near Cabot, Lonoke, Arkansas

Event narrative

A tornado began southwest of Cabot and was most intense as it traveled through industrial and business areas on the west side of the railroad tracks in Cabot. Business structures destroyed included a self-storage warehouse and two storage buildings. A truck repair building was badly damaged, and two large warehouses also suffered damage. Several vehicles on a used-car lot were damaged when a large canopy fell. A canopy was damaged at a gas station, and there was roof damage to several businesses. To the east of the railroad tracks, numerous houses sustained roof damage, both in the middle of Cabot and on northeast through the Shiloh subdivision. A few houses and vehicles were damaged by falling trees.

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 → (34.9421, -92.0643)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 92053. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.