Arkansas, 1997

Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997

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

The Jackson County tornado moved into Independence County 7 miles south of Oil Trough at 331 pm CST. As the tornado tracked northeastward, it damaged several homes and downed a number of trees and power lines.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$3.0 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 Jackson County tornado moved into Independence County 7 miles south of Oil Trough at 331 pm CST. As the tornado tracked northeastward, it damaged several homes and downed a number of trees and power lines. The tornado exited Independence County 5.5 miles east-southeast of Oil Trough at 342 pm CST.

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:32 UTC.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Independence

When
March 1, 3:31 PM CST to 3:42 PM CST
Where
Independence County, Oil Trough to 7 mi ESE of Oil Trough
Rating
F2
Path length
7.5 mi
Path width
880 yd
Property damage
$3.0 million
Coordinates
35.530, -91.470

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: 5600787.