Arkansas, 1997

Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997

March 1, 1997 · NWS LZK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An F1 tornado touched down approximately 1 mile south of Oak Grove and traveled northeastward. Much of the damage was mostly done to trees.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
$5.0 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.

An F1 tornado touched down approximately 1 mile south of Oak Grove and traveled northeastward. Much of the damage was mostly done to trees. However, a wood pallet plant and a chicken house were destroyed. A couple of homes also sustained roof damage. The tornado exited Pope County around 338 pm CST.

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:27 UTC.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Pope

When
March 1, 3:30 PM CST to 3:38 PM CST
Where
Pope County, Oak Grove to 1 mi NE of Oak Grove
Rating
F1
Path length
7.5 mi
Path width
200 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$5.0 million
Coordinates
35.330, -92.950

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

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arkansas, 1997Warnings 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: 5592929.