Tornadoes in Arkansas, March 1, 1997

Name: Tornadoes in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
Start: 1997-03-01T16:19
End: 1997-03-01T17:05
Location: Arkansas

March 1, 1997 · NWS MEG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The tornado moved into extreme northwest Craighead county from Jackson county. While in Craighead county, the tornado damaged a house injuring 2 persons inside the structure.

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: 1
Injuries: 9
Property damage: $1.0 million
Crop damage: $1.1 million
Events: 3

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 MEG wrote it up.

The tornado moved into extreme northwest Craighead county from Jackson county. While in Craighead county, the tornado damaged a house injuring 2 persons inside the structure. The tornado then moved into the southeast corner of Lawrence county. There it damaged 13 homes and buildings including a grain bin which stored a large supply of rice. One mobile home was rolled over injuring 2 persons. Numerous trees were blown down as well. The tornado moved into Greene county where it occasionally lifted off the ground as the storm moved northeast. The most severe damage occurred near Marmaduke where 20 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed. One man was killed when his business was damaged by the tornado. Five others were injured.

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 114 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:21 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Craighead

When: March 1, 4:19 PM CST to 4:40 PM CST
Where: Craighead County, Egypt to 3 mi NE of Egypt
Rating: F3
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.830, -90.980

Tornado, Lawrence

When: March 1, 4:40 PM CST to 4:45 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County, Sedgwick to 3 mi of Sedgwick
Rating: F3
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $500,000
Crop damage: $1.1 million
Coordinates: 35.930, -90.900

Tornado, Greene

When: March 1, 4:45 PM CST to 5:05 PM CST
Where: Greene County, Fontaine to 1 mi NE of Marmaduke
Rating: F3
Path length: 15 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 35.980, -90.830

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Greene	1997-03-01	47	Male	Business	Direct

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: 5595091, 5595092, 5595259.