On This Day In 1997, The Unthinkable Happened In Arkansas

Arkansas happens to be in tornado alley, and we’re accustomed to tornado sirens in the spring. What happened in March of 1997, however, was exceptionally horrible for the breadth of damage, the number of counties impacted and the horrific loss of life that occurred.

On March 1st, 1997, Arkansas experienced its most deadly tornado outbreak since 1968.

During the 1968 tornado outbreak, 34 people died. In the 1997 outbreak, that number was 25.

The 1997 outbreak produced 19 tornadoes that ripped through 26 Arkansas counties.

Of those 19 tornadoes, three were classified as F4. For reference, here is what an F4 tornado looks like:

Here is another example of F4 damage, this one from a recent Vilonia, Arkansas tornado:

People in the path of the storms had warnings with lead times of between nine and 28 minutes. Unfortunately, that was not enough time.

Two of those F4 tornadoes were the most deadly of the system. They killed 21 people. The third F4 was briefly on the ground in Mississippi County, but most of the damage from that storm happened after it crossed the border into Tennessee

Of the five counties with death tolls, Saline County was hit the hardest. Saline County communities lost 10 people that day. Second to Saline County was Clark County, which saw the loss of six lives. All six deaths occurred in Arkadelphia. Pulaski County lost five citizens, Jackson County lost three, and Greene County lost one.

Despite the terrible tragedies that faced the residents of those counties, now the communities are stronger than ever.

Check out this news coverage of the storm system and resulting damage. Near the beginning of the video, you can see neighbors helping each other despite the devastation around them:

What do you think of this storm? Do you remember when it happened?

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A Terrifying, Deadly Storm Struck Arkansas In 1997... And No One Saw It Coming

J.B. VanDyke

Author

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