Tornado, Izard
- When
- March 5, 7:45 PM CST to 8:15 PM CST
- Where
- Izard County, Melbourne to 7 mi NE of Mt Pleasant
- Rating
- F3
- Path length
- 15.5 mi
- Path width
- 150 yd
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Coordinates
- 36.000, -92.000
Tornado in Arkansas, March 5, 1996
The tornado first touched down 7 miles southwest of Melbourne. It moved east-northeastward, passing near the small community of Lunerburg, where it damaged and destroyed some homes and other structures.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 2
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.
The tornado first touched down 7 miles southwest of Melbourne. It moved east-northeastward, passing near the small community of Lunerburg, where it damaged and destroyed some homes and other structures. The tornado continued moving east-northeastward and hit the town of Mount Pleasant. A number of homes, mobile homes and other buildings were either damaged or destroyed. 2 people in Mount Pleasant sustained minor injuries. Numerous trees and power lines were also blown down along the tornado's path. The tornado exited Izard County about 3 1/2 miles northeast of Mount Pleasant at 815 pm.Damage along the track of the tornado was mostly F2. However, some structural damage was consistent with an F3 rating. Initial estimates place the amount of damage at around $1,000,000.An assessment of structural and other damage in Izard County revealed:17 homes damaged; 5 completely destroyed13 mobile homes damaged; 6 completely destroyed24 outbuildings damaged; 10 completely destroyed10 barns damaged; 6 completely destroyed3 chicken houses destroyed2 to 3 head of cattle killed
The radar
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 132 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:45 UTC.
Event by event
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 5, 1996
- Tornado in Mississippi, March 5, 1996
- Hail in Mississippi, March 5, 1996
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 5, 1996
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 5, 1996
- Tornado in Missouri, March 5, 1996
- Tornado in Missouri, March 5, 1996
- High Wind in Utah, March 5 to 6, 1996
- Winter Storm in New York, March 5, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, March 5, 1996
- Hail in Missouri, March 5, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Utah, March 5 to 6, 1996
More
Every storm in Arkansas in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arkansas, 1996Warnings in Arkansas, March 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5548863.