Arkansas, 1997

Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997

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

The Pope County tornado moved into Conway County about 2 miles west-southwest of Jerusalem at 338 pm CST and traveled northeastward. The tornado affected the northern and western parts of Jerusalem.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
$500,000
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 Pope County tornado moved into Conway County about 2 miles west-southwest of Jerusalem at 338 pm CST and traveled northeastward. The tornado affected the northern and western parts of Jerusalem. West of town, a hog farm and tin shed were destroyed and a number of trees were blown down. As the tornado moved north of Jerusalem, a trailer was overturned and destroyed. One person in the trailer was injured. Thereafter, numerous trees were downed as the tornado moved through the Ozark National Forest. Damage along the tornado path was consistent with an F2 rating.

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:37 UTC.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Conway

When
March 1, 3:38 PM CST to 3:48 PM CST
Where
Conway County, Jerusalem to 2 mi NE of Jerusalem
Rating
F2
Path length
8 mi
Path width
880 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$500,000
Coordinates
35.380, -92.850

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: 5592930.