Tornado, Independence
- When
- January 21, 7:33 PM CST to 7:43 PM CST
- Where
- Independence County, Newark to 5 mi NE of Newark
- Rating
- F2
- Path length
- 7 mi
- Path width
- 400 yd
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 35.650, -91.520
Tornado in Arkansas, January 21, 1999
A strong tornado was spawned in eastern Independence County. The tornado developed near the White River about 5 miles southwest of Newark and moved toward town.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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.
A strong tornado was spawned in eastern Independence County. The tornado developed near the White River about 5 miles southwest of Newark and moved toward town. In Newark, extensive tree damage was found...with numerous trees either downed or snapped. At least 100 homes, three businesses and a church sustained some damage...with mostly roof damage noted. Off of 5th Street, a few trailers were heavily damaged or destroyed. Damage was most extensive along Morgan Street and Hill Street. The tornado continued tracking northeast and dissipated about 2 miles northeast of town.
The radar
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:35 UTC.
Event by event
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Tornado in Arkansas, January 21, 1999
- Tornado in Arkansas, January 21, 1999
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, January 21 to 22, 1999
- Tornado in Arkansas, January 21, 1999
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, January 21 to 22, 1999
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Indiana, January 21 to 23, 1999
- Tornadoes and Hail in Louisiana, January 21, 1999
- Tornado in Arkansas, January 21, 1999
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, January 21 to 22, 1999
- Tornado in Arkansas, January 21, 1999
- Tornado in Arkansas, January 21, 1999
- Tornado in Arkansas, January 21, 1999
More
Every storm in Arkansas in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arkansas, 1999Warnings in Arkansas, January 1999
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5685660.