8 tornadoes confirmed in Arkansas over weekend

Scarlett Faulk of Austin salvages a Bible belonging to one of her brothers as she searches for items in a destroyed building on her family’s land Saturday in southern Lonoke County. There were no injuries reported from the storm. More photos at www.arkansasonline.com/112storms/.

Scarlett Faulk of Austin salvages a Bible belonging to one of her brothers as she searches for items in a destroyed building on her family’s land Saturday in southern Lonoke County. There were no injuries reported from the storm. More photos at www.arkansasonline.com/112storms/.


The National Weather Service has confirmed eight tornadoes touched down in Arkansas during powerful storms that moved through the state overnight Friday into Saturday morning.

No injuries or deaths have been reported.

Two of those tornadoes were rated EF-2. One traveled 13.6 miles in Logan County and had peak wind speeds estimated by the weather service at between 111 and 135 mph. The weather service said in a report that several barns, chicken houses and out buildings were destroyed by that tornado. According to Logan County officials, at least nine homes were also damaged, including five that were destroyed.

Another EF-2 tornado started northeast of Hamburg in Ashley County and "tracked roughly 20 miles to just east of Montrose" in Chicot County, the weather service wrote in a damage survey report. Peak winds were estimated at 130 mph.

"Thousands of trees were uprooted and snapped along the path along with numerous power lines and poles downed," the agency wrote on that tornado, which occurred after 3 a.m. "Some of the heaviest damage was to a mobile home just off [Ashley County Road 129]. The home was thrown 15 to 20 feet and destroyed."

Six other tornadoes were rated EF-1 in strength. One occurred near Seaton in Lonoke County, according to the report, and blew in a grain bin and tossed a shed.

Another occurred near Jerome in Drew County, “mangling” a silo, according to the report.

Three to 4 miles south of Ozark, in Franklin County, another tornado uprooted trees and damaged utility poles.

In south Arkansas, Ashley County saw three other EF-1 tornadoes, according to the report.

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