The tornado in Independence County moved back into Jackson County about 4 miles southwest of Jacksonport at 342 pm CST. The tornado moved northeastward into Jacksonport where there was a considerable loss of trees and damage to homes and businesses.
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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.
The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.
The tornado in Independence County moved back into Jackson County about 4 miles southwest of Jacksonport at 342 pm CST. The tornado moved northeastward into Jacksonport where there was a considerable loss of trees and damage to homes and businesses. One person was killed in a mobile home that was destroyed. A riverboat also suffered considerable damage when it was blown into a partially flooded area on the shoreline. As the tornado continued to move northeastward, it caused roof and structural damage to a number of buildings. A lot of trees were also blown down as well. The tornado crossed Highway 67 about a mile south of Tuckerman and skirted the southeast part of town. Several miles northeast of Tuckerman, on Highway 224, the tornado caused more damage to several homes. About 7 miles northeast of Tuckerman, there was quite a bit of tree damage. Some tops of trees were also removed, indicating that the tornado was aloft at times. The tornado downed more trees and power lines in the last 3 or 4 miles it was on the ground in Jackson County. The tornado exited Jackson County 5.5 miles east of Swifton at 413 pm CST. Damage along the path of the tornado was consistent with an F2 rating.
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:42 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
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, Jackson | 1997-03-01 | 79 | Male | Mobile/Trailer Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arkansas, 1997Warnings in Arkansas, March 1997
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: 5600788.