Tornadoes in Arkansas, March 1, 1997

Name: Tornadoes in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
Start: 1997-03-01T13:55
End: 1997-03-01T14:27
Location: Arkansas

March 1, 1997 · NWS SHV · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

8 miles north of Hope, AR moved northeast along hwy 174, crossed I-30 at exit 36 (Emmet, AR. exit) continued northeast on the west side of I-30 past Emmit then northeast 1/2 to 2 miles west of I-30 and Prescott, AR then crossed the Little Missouri River at the Nevada-Clark county line and continued northeast.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 2
Property damage: $3.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 SHV wrote it up.

Damage path began 1.8 miles north of Hope, AR moved northeast along hwy 174, crossed I-30 at exit 36 (Emmet, AR. exit) continued northeast on the west side of I-30 past Emmit then northeast 1/2 to 2 miles west of I-30 and Prescott, AR then crossed the Little Missouri River at the Nevada-Clark county line and continued northeast. Total path length about 18 miles with width average 25 yds to 1/2 mile. Numerous homes, buildings, mobile homes, and vehicles were destroyed or heavily damaged.

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 139 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:55 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Hempstead

When: March 1, 1:55 PM CST to 2:07 PM CST
Where: Hempstead County, Hope to 2 mi NE of Hope
Rating: F2
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $1.0 million
Coordinates: 33.680, -93.570

Tornado, Nevada

When: March 1, 2:07 PM CST to 2:27 PM CST
Where: Nevada County, Hope to 10 mi NE of Prescott
Rating: F3
Path length: 14 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.0 million
Coordinates: 33.770, -93.480

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

Every storm in Arkansas in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Arkansas, 1997 Warnings in Arkansas, March 1997

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: 5589715, 5589716.