Tornado hits area near Fort Smith

A tornado touched down Tuesday morning in west-central Arkansas, the National Weather Service confirmed.

The twister hit Bonanza, a town of fewer than 600 people about 12 miles south of Fort Smith, about 9:45 a.m., according to the agency's Tulsa office.

Winds between 75 and 85 mph damaged or destroyed several barns and snapped large tree limbs as the tornado moved northeast through the Cedar Creek Valley, north of Arkansas 45.

The storm was rated EF-0, the weather service's lowest rating.

Two EF-1 tornadoes touched down in northeast Arkansas at the end of February, damaging many homes and buildings southwest of Keiser, the agency's Memphis office said.

Three tornadoes were confirmed in January, with EF-1 storms hitting areas in Faulkner, Franklin and Sebastian counties.

Metro on 03/30/2018

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